Blood, Souls and Sausages
by Cun
Summary: Vampires, werewolves, dark magic, holy magic, bloody battles, sexy happenings, fangs, biting, nibbling, cuddling, random nonsense, baseball bat action, undeads, mages, plot, angst, drama, blood, souls and sausages. Fantasy setting AU. Mikoto is a vampire matriarch and now, the adventure begins.
1. Extreme Fangirl Drugs

**Author's note/warning/introduction/credits:**

This is a fangirl's wet dream. There is hardly anything else to say about it. It is multi-chapter, super-silly, sexy hot and full of things that... makes a lot of sense.

There may be logical mishaps, inconsistencies, plot holes, and lots of random nonsense. That's fine.

**Huge thanks to all beta-readers, idea contributors and helper-editors:**

GreatSnapper  
>Digeridoodler<br>TPK  
>61wisampa<br>Xasha  
>Roadmart<p>

I think at least 50% of the ideas came from these guys! So now you know who to blame if this is not to your taste! XD

Seriously though, thanks a lot everyone! I hope this weird thing can be enjoyed by even more people now!

Tell me what you think, but even if you don't I still love you. Kisses and hugs~

**Warning: **The story is rated M because of content that will show up along the course of the adventure.

* * *

><p><strong>BLOOD, SOULS AND SAUSAGES<strong>

**VOLUME 1: **

**The Bloodening**

**XXX**

**Part 1 - Extreme fangirl drugs**

Two months.

Kuroko was tense, and not only because of the guard she was hearing somewhere around the corner. She was standing with her back to the wall, keeping her breath controlled and her mind clear as she heard his footsteps disappear into the hallway. Her white outfit, from the jacket to the pants to the boots, was made for lightweight sneaking, and she thanked Judgment for letting her out of carrying around the heavy armor most of their paladins were required to wear. Sometimes, being smaller than the average for her age had its perks. Not that it mattered any longer; at the age of sixteen, Shirai Kuroko was about to be labeled a true deserter. If she hadn't been before, then this operation would surely mark the end of her career.

Breathing in deeply, she listened for any more sounds. Hearing none, she vanished, a sudden shimmer in the air indicating her movement through the eleven dimensions. Reappearing but a moment later, Kuroko leaned on the cellar door and listened. No sounds came from inside. Was it possible that they'd left the prison unguarded?

She teleported past the locked door and landed in the darkness inside. Nearly slipping on a wet stone, her heart jolted and she had to gather herself for a moment.

Two months since she had failed to come see her. Kuroko had waited, expecting that she had business elsewhere. She wasn't _that _reliant on Mikoto that she couldn't handle a few days without her attention.

But then a week passed, and another.

She had started to become uneasy when word from Academy City arrived. Judgment had outdone themselves again. The topic was Gilmore, and the news proudly claimed he had successfully captured a vampire matriarch. Great success, all hail Judgment. Kuroko did not believe it. Capturing a matriarch was like trying to blow up a mountain with a stick. It just didn't happen.

Yet she couldn't knock the idea away, not after several weeks with no word from the vampire. Even Uiharu and Saten-san hadn't heard anything. And speaking of those two, where the heck had they gone? Kuroko had lost track of them outside the fort, when Saten-san insisted on following her silly plan and Kuroko decided it would be better to split up.

Kuroko wiped her brow, starting to regret walking into this thing with no greater plan. All three of them had become certain it was Mikoto that Gilmore claimed to have captured, although it seemed impossible. There was the fact that Mikoto did not kill humans, however. Perhaps they had somehow taken advantage of that. Thus, the three of them had set off from Toaru village in order to pay the fort a visit. And after having been denied entrance, they ended up sneaking in.

The girl who now regarded herself truly as a former Judgment member teleported onwards through the cellar, but it was soon too dark and too narrow to continue like that. Calling forth her holy light, a gentle blue glow cast across the stony walls and she continued into the darkness.

Kuroko found her in the deepest, innermost prison cell in the cellar. Everything was dark, though her holy light floated behind her, lighting up the moist walls and reflecting off of the silver bars. She had no idea what to expect. She had not seen Mikoto in two months. But she was certain mere silver bars would not be enough to keep the matriarch captive. She had to be prepared for the worst.

As she approached the prison cell, someone shifted inside.

"Mikoto?" she whispered, careful not to leave any echoes.

"Ku...roko?" Her voice was coarse, and Kuroko's insides twisted. She knew to be careful, but at the moment she didn't care. She teleported inside the cage and found Mikoto sitting by the wall, staring up at her. Her loose shirt was crumpled, the same black one she'd been wearing when Kuroko saw her last. Her pants were stained in patches, but she couldn't tell if it was blood or something else.

"I'm here now." She reached out a hand and helped Mikoto to her feet. She looked disoriented, and just below the cuffs of her shirt Kuroko noticed healing puncture marks on her arms. Had she caused them herself, or did they have another vampire? Kuroko failed to imagine Mikoto letting anyone bite her like that. "Have they given you anything to eat?"

At the question, Mikoto's breath hitched. "No… get out, Kuroko." She pulled her hand away. Kuroko frowned.

"Nothing? For two whole months?"

Mikoto pulled backwards until her back hit the wall. Kuroko gave her a thorough look. Mikoto's gaze was dark, heavy with lust. Her collarbone, visible beneath the open top buttons in her shirt, was shining with sweat. She could see the tendons tensing beneath the skin of her wrists, and realized that she was witnessing something incredible.

"I want you so much." Mikoto's voice was laden with desire, and Kuroko watched as the teeth in her mouth glinted; the ones in the corner looked sharper now, like fangs.

Kuroko's gaze narrowed. She knew Mikoto was a vampire, but this was the first time she'd seen the evidence. It felt unreal, standing there in silence and just watching as the vampiric urges rose to the surface in the person before her. Normally, she'd have long since attempted to spear her heart.

Not with her though. There was a reason why she had chosen Mikoto over Judgment.

Mikoto's eyes were black and hungry, and when she grinned her fangs had grown to their full size, nicely shaped and deadly. Her body was tensing, strength surging into the limbs as her inhuman nature gained more control. Kuroko met her gaze head on.

"What are you going to do?" One wrong move from the vampire and Kuroko would do her damndest to kill her. It didn't matter if she was facing a matriarch, she would go all-out.

Mikoto moved closer, hands sliding over Kuroko's waist. She pulled in a deep breath through her nose, taking in Kuroko's scent. Kuroko's fingers touched the spikes at her thighs, ready to teleport in an instant. Mikoto slid her hands to her back and pulled her in, their bodies so close Kuroko could feel the cold radiating from the other girl.

"I want to taste you." A soft tongue touched Kuroko's neck, pulled up along the skin while a deep breath left Mikoto's throat.

"You may not eat." Kuroko stood her ground, letting the girl lick her throat, and tensing the moment her fangs brushed by the same point. "No!"

Mikoto's grip on her tightened. "Come on, just a little." She was breathing heavily, and the scent she carried was enough to make Kuroko feel light-headed. She shook it off and stayed determined.

"I know it's been long since you last ate, but you know what happens when you do." Her heart beat more harshly and Mikoto's hand stroked over her chest. She knew the vampire could sense it, and cursed herself for being unable to stay calm.

"You're excited though." Mikoto purred, playing with the buttons on Kuroko's neatly tucked shirt and letting her breath caress the wet skin on her neck. Kuroko tensed.

"Of course I am."

"Then let me taste you, just a bit." Mikoto licked her again, and her breathing deepened. A chill ran down Kuroko's spine. She could tell Mikoto was hungry, and the desire to let the girl do as she pleased was hard to fight. She knew it was urges planted into her from their close proximity, however. Mikoto was doing what was natural for her. She may have sworn to never hurt Kuroko, but having been denied a meal for over two months, she must be grating on her last reserves.

"No tasting. I am going to get us out of here." Kuroko shuddered as the sharp fangs caressed her throat again, and demanded her body to stay still. Becoming wound up would only fuel the predatory instincts of the other girl, making her seem an even tastier meal. "I swear I will get you something to eat once we're outside, but for now, try to hold back, okay?"

Mikoto answered by pressing her into the wall, using her whole body to trap Kuroko in place. "You smell so good though."

"Yes, I do. You may smell more later. Now focus." Her fingers were already holding two of her spikes. Mikoto was too close, and Kuroko got the feeling that her common sense was leaving rapidly. She was pulling in Kuroko's scent and growing high on the beat of her heart. The vampiric urges were exceptionally strong, especially after so long with no food.

Mikoto purred and moaned as she caressed Kuroko's throat with her tongue. _No good. _Kuroko was breaking out into a sweat. _I have to… _Her fingers clenched around the spikes and then Mikoto's hand snaked around them, gripping her hand. _Shit! _The vampire's strength was too much, forcing the spikes to fall from her grip. _I got careless! _Kuroko hissed, tensing against the pain in her hand.

"Mi-Mikoto!"

"I'm just… so hungry." Mikoto muttered, and her fangs scratched at the skin of her neck as she pulled Kuroko closer for a better position. Kuroko stiffened, and then clenched her teeth.

"M-Modnar Tihsllub!" With a clear voice that trembled at first, she repeated the words that all Judgment members were taught as a first basic principle of self-defense. The vampire froze, the tip of her fangs resting on Kuroko's skin. Kuroko didn't know how well it would work at this point; it may have helped Mikoto regain her senses during their intimate acts, but she always made sure to have eaten before those. Now, with this hungry beast above her, Kuroko was not so sure. She could tell Mikoto was straining against it, wanting to bite down. Kuroko moved her head enough so that the fangs were no longer touching her skin.

"Mikoto, snap out of it!" Her wrist was still being held captive, and the alluring scent of the vampire was overwhelming.

Mikoto drew a staggering breath. "I'm so incredibly hungry…"

Kuroko was relieved to recognize some sensibility in her voice.

"I know you are. But this isn't the time. You know what will happen if I give you even a little right now." With how hungry she was, the vampiric urges would flare up and Mikoto would most likely not be able to stop until her hunger was sated. That would mean one dry Kuroko.

Mikoto was still tense, but she didn't resist when Kuroko put a hand on her chest and gently pushed her away. She could feel the strength in the body under her hand and knew that she had to tread carefully. That Mikoto had so much power even after so long without blood was eerily fascinating. Mikoto stared down at Kuroko with painful longing in her dark eyes. It must have been incredible torture, being so hungry and so close to food, yet having to resist taking even a single bite. In this case Kuroko would gladly have offered a drop of blood, but she could see that the wildness was already close to surfacing. Mikoto was inches away from succumbing to the beast inside her, and one drop of blood would only make those instincts flare.

"Let us go." She reached out and grabbed Mikoto's wrist. It twitched on contact, then tensed under her touch. Mikoto was staring at her hand and Kuroko teleported them outside without waiting for an affirmative. "We should move quickly but silently."

She led the way down the cellar, past twists and turns of dark, foreboding concrete. Kuroko's holy light made them able to see.

After a minute or so, they stopped at a junction. Kuroko looked back and frowned. Pearls of sweat were forming on Mikoto's brow and Kuroko inwardly cursed. How much time did she have left before the urge became too much and she was stuck with a raging hungry vampire all the same? She weighed her chances for survival in such a scenario. Mikoto was a matriarch, one of the seven strongest vampires on earth. Even in such a reduced state, her physical strength far surpassed that of Kuroko. A vampire's body would preserve energy in case of emergency. Once a certain limit passed and the hunger became too much, all the remaining energy would be concentrated in order to boost their senses and power in a limited burst. Hopefully enough so to find their next meal before it was too late. If Mikoto passed that limit right now, Kuroko had no idea how strong she would become, and being the only possible meal within a reachable radius was not a good idea. She had fought a limitbreak vampire once before, and had survived because of superior skill. But Mikoto was not an ordinary vampire. Her power was simply too unpredictable.

Mikoto was breathing heavily. "Kuroko."

"Yes?" Kuroko had all the faith in the world in Mikoto. She knew she would do anything it took to do the right thing.

"The next person we meet is mine."

Kuroko shuddered.

"I understand." There was no use arguing. She would just have to make sure the next person they met was someone Mikoto could eat with good conscience. It was Mikoto's way of proposing a compromise. If she couldn't eat the next person they met, Kuroko would have to fight her. No doubt about it.

"We'll run through the open room. Let's go."

They teleported into the room and at once started running. Kuroko held Mikoto's hand and made sure the vampire was at her side rather than behind her to avoid the similarity of a hunt. Even so, while they ran she could feel the muscles of the other girl tensing, and her breath was growing more rigid. Perhaps there were lingering scents of blood in the cellar, and Kuroko hoped they would meet some sort of prison guard or the like. She counted her weapons; fourteen spikes, a silver gun with five bullets, ten small bottles of holy water, and her ultimate weapon, the Nottub Niw. Her forehead felt slick at the thought. She had not told Mikoto of that one. It was the most powerful weapon in Kuroko's arsenal. She was not sure how it would work against the matriarch, but it was an instant kill for other vampires. Naturally, the cost for using it compensated the power. She would be unable to cast it again for a few days, not to mention doing anything useful.

Would she have to use it on Mikoto?

Kuroko didn't notice before Mikoto's head turned and the vampire halted in her tracks, nearly pulling Kuroko off her feet. She glanced in the direction Mikoto's attention had turned to, but it was too dark. She made her light shine brighter and when she noticed what had caught the vampire's attention, her eyes widened. There, inside one of prison cells along the wall, curled up together, sat two familiar people.

"Saten-san!" Kuroko grabbed Mikoto's shoulder out of reflex, and knew at once it was too late. Mikoto's body was strung tight, her breath heaving, growling even, her pupils had shrunk and the color was already changing, becoming a brilliant red. _She's at her limit!_

"Mikoto!" She teleported in front of her and brandished her spikes. "You cannot eat them."

A growl of warning left Mikoto's throat, her whole body trembling. "Move."

Kuroko faced her calmly. "I will not move. Saten-san and Uiharu-san are our friends. You may not eat them."

There was a flash of pain in her expression and Kuroko realized. _She's fighting the limitbreak. _She must not have entirely passed it, or Kuroko was certain that words would merely have been shrugged off.

"There has to be someone else!" She attempted to reason, "Guards, prison staff, anyone! But I will not allow you to eat our friends!"

The girls in the prison cell behind her were entirely silent, thankfully. They must have caught onto the situation and Kuroko thanked them for being smart. Mikoto was pulling in air in gasps, small growls leaving her throat. Then she gritted her teeth and Kuroko stood her ground, long since past the point where she would flinch at the sight of fangs. Although it was different seeing them on Mikoto.

It happened too quickly. Out of nowhere, something exploded, and a weighted net dropped onto Mikoto. She yelped as the threads touched her skin and the weight forced her down to her knees; Kuroko realized.

"A silver net!?" It must be what they had used to capture her originally.

"Well, well!" a sly voice sounded, and Kuroko's head snapped to the door opening above them. A row of guards trailed into the room, cutting Kuroko off from Mikoto.

"Tsk." She clicked her tongue.

The fancy person at the door stepped down the staircase with a horrible grin on his face.

"I wondered how long it would take for famous Shirai Kuroko-san, the prodigy paladin vampire hunter, to show up." Gilmore walked over to Mikoto and grabbed her hair, pulling her head up. She grimaced. "Isn't our invention delicious? Silver threads wrapped into the strongest rope at the hands of the priests in Academy City. Blessed by the breath of the Pope himself. Imbued with His Holiness' blessings and the power of two different Saints. This is able to trap even the strongest of the beasts." He glanced lovingly at Mikoto, and then over at Kuroko. "How come you haven't killed her yet?"

Kuroko's insides froze.

He looked delighted. "Could it be… you are a traitor?"

Kuroko drew a deep breath. "Mikoto has never gone on a rampage. It is our code to take out those who are a threat."

His eyes glinted. "Oh really. _Our _code, hm?"

Kuroko did not like the look on his face, or the way he handled Mikoto so easily.

He glanced at the vampire again, grinning. "Just north of here is a small village. I think it houses, oh, about two hundred people?" He held out an arm and one of his bodyguards pulled off the glove. Then one of them used his sword to nick Gilmore's fingers. Kuroko's eyes widened.

"What are you doing!?" A drop of blood formed out of the wound and Mikoto's breath hitched. The sight and smell of fresh blood must be enough to push her over the edge, but the man was still calm. The net must have incredible powers.

"What say you we make a little bet?" He hovered his hand above the net, like waving a sausage in front of the face of a hungry wolf. "What do you think would happen if you put a ravenously hungry matriarch into the midst of a defenseless town? Do you think our dear little Railgun will continue her speckless record of no rampaging?"

"You can't do that!" Kuroko moved forward and was met with twenty pike tips.

"Oh no?" The man grinned, lowering his hand. Mikoto's breath was intense, all attention focused on the small wound on his finger. Surely he would not let her bite him? "Then how about you stop her, as is your job?"

The drop finally fell and was caught by Mikoto's tongue. The air in the room twisted and Kuroko knew at once that she had finally broken. Electricity snapped from her bangs, the uncontrollable urge for more blood pumping adrenaline into her body. All reserves were released and the matriarch's power grew tenfold.

The man pulled the net off with a laugh, while his men hastily retreated out of the door.

"Good luck, Shirai-san." Gilmore grinned, and the door to the prison closed behind him.

"Mikoto!" Kuroko called out for her friend, but there was no doubt that the limit was passed. A single drop of blood was not enough to sate months of hunger. Mikoto was not her friend right now. She was a hungry predator, and there was prey right in front of her. Even if Kuroko escaped with Uiharu and Saten-san, Gilmore had planted the idea of a village into her head. If she failed in reaching the prey right in front of her, she would hunt for the next best thing. If she did, Mikoto would be labeled a threat and every single vampire hunter in the country would be sent to take her out.

"M-Misaka-san!" Saten-san was terrified, and Kuroko did not blame her. Mikoto's eyes were sharp, dark, and bloody red, seeing nothing but potential food. Her hair fluttered, sparks playing in the strands. Her body was strung with explosive power.

The vampire charged in and Kuroko prepared to clash.

Fighting a vampire in limitbreak was tough enough. Fighting a matriarch was impossible. Mikoto's speed was too much, like a shotgun over the floor. Not only did she possess inhuman strength, but her electric ability was just as lethal as her fangs, if not more so. Kuroko had no room for thinking. There was no use trying to find any middle ground, any way of not hurting her friend and lover. Mikoto was out to kill, and Kuroko could only defend herself. She teleported four spikes at once but none of them hit; it was as if Mikoto sensed them even as they travelled through the eleven dimensions and evaded them within a hair's width. Then her hand connected with Kuroko's face and the vampire hunter was thrown into the cell behind, back crashing against the steel bars. Her head span and she coughed, feeling nauseous. That hit alone must have given her a concussion. She teleported, doubled over as she appeared in the middle of the room, and turned around.

Uiharu and Saten-san huddled in the corner of the cell, and Mikoto grabbed the steel bars in front of her. As if they were hardly worth mentioning, the bars broke.

_She's going for the easiest kill! _Kuroko panicked, and picked up a handful of holy water bottles.

"Mikoto!" Crying for her attention, she pulled the plug and then teleported all of the water into the air above her head. Mikoto didn't even flinch. The fact that she didn't even care to dodge the holy water told Kuroko more than she needed.

_This vampire is incredibly strong! _She knew, of course, but she had never fought a matriarch. The holy water did nothing to Mikoto, and a spear of electricity was fired Kuroko's way. It was not possible to dodge quickly enough; Kuroko tried, but was still struck in her shoulder.

"Gah!" She fell to the floor as her muscles failed, and raised her head. "Uiharu! Saten-san!"

The two girls were trapped, and Mikoto was already disregarding Kuroko, having effectively taken her out of the action. Kuroko gritted her teeth and put her hands on the ground, trying to get up. Her body was paralyzed and the pain tore through her. _I can't… _she glared at Mikoto, who was approaching Uiharu and Saten-san at a leisurely pace, perhaps deciding which one to take first. Blue crackles of electricity danced in her bangs and the aura she exuded was intense, even from at this distance. Mikoto was a sensual vampire, that was her only solace. Some vampires preferred to rip apart their prey and brutally massacre them, or torture them while drinking their blood. Mikoto did not. She played on the senses and attraction of humans, soothing them and gently coaxing them into letting her feed. There was no saying how much time she'd spend on that particular play right now, however. Limitbreak only lasted for so long; she would have to feed before it ended, or all the reserves would be burned out. A vampire without power was basically a human, and they would die from hunger soon after unless someone willingly gave them blood.

Mikoto was approaching Saten-san and Uiharu and she looked excited. Kuroko gritted her teeth.

_I can't let her!_

She gathered what remained of her strength and prepared to move.

XXX

Ruiko was terrified.

"M-Misaka-san!" She pulled Uiharu into the corner and they both stared at the vampire in horror. She had never seen Misaka-san's vampire form this clearly, and to be frank, it scared the crap out of her. The girl she knew as a friend looked deadly beautiful, with a strange allure that greatly soothed her even as the power of the vampire enveloped them.

Ruiko stepped forward and covered Uiharu behind her. "If you'll take one of us, take me."

She did not know where it came from, but she put her faith in both Kuroko and Misaka-san to be able to save Uiharu. She saw the hunger flare in those inhuman eyes and Misaka-san grabbed her arm. Her fingers were icy cold and the grip was so strong Ruiko could feel her bones creak. She shut an eye closed at the pain, and Misaka-san leaned in, sniffing her hair, then dragged her tongue along her neck. One hand snaked across her midriff, over the leather belt holding up her pants.

"P-Please. Just let Uiharu go. Please, Misaka-san." Her heart was beating quickly and for some reason, she felt excited. It must have been the vampire effect. Her breath became shallow and she felt strange as Misaka-san slid her hand up her chest, pushing her backwards until her back hit the wall.

_I'm trapped. _Oh well. It was like it didn't even matter. Uiharu was safe, pressed into the corner and gripping the edges of her skirt so hard her knuckles were pale.

Misaka-san kept licking her throat and Ruiko wondered if it was some sort of ritual. Then, the vampire turned her slightly, and the sharp edges of her fangs brushed by Ruiko's skin.

_It's going to happen. _She was glad though, that it was Misaka-san.

Someone appeared beside them. It took a second for her to recognize Shirai-san, and when she did, her gut tightened. Shirai-san was holding a shining gun to Misaka-san's temple, and her body was pulsating with a white light, concentrated in her free fist.

_It's her. _Relief flooded her. The vampire hunter had come to her rescue.

XXX

Kuroko glared at Mikoto's face, whereas the matriarch had frozen up when the barrel of the flintlock gun touched her temple. She did not lash out at once. Kuroko hoped that meant Mikoto recognized her power. Kuroko had pulled out all her reserves, and the Nottub Niw was resting in her fist, ready to be unleashed.

Yet she wanted to try and talk first.

"Mikoto."

There was no reaction, but Mikoto still didn't bite, although her fangs were already resting on Saten-san's throat and all she needed to do was close her mouth. Up close, the weight of her presence was smothering; yet Kuroko was not powerless anymore either. Her own aura had been pumped to maximum in the hopes of pulling the vampire's attention.

"Will you be able to stop?" She asked her question, gun barrel resting steady against Mikoto's head. Did she even understand her at the moment? Or was all of her energy concentrated into the urge to eat and heightening her power?

Kuroko would give her a chance. She knew Mikoto needed to eat. That it had come to this point meant that she was already balancing on the very edge. She might die in a few days if she couldn't sate that hunger, and after this outburst, she would be powerless to hunt prey.

Kuroko knew. But she didn't want to lose _anyone_.

That was why.

"If you bite Saten-san and drink her blood, will you be able to stop before she dies?"

She had seen vampires losing control before. Getting so pulled into the act of feeding, the power rush it gave them, that they lost all rationality. It was said that the most dangerous time to be around a vampire was when they were hungry and when they had just fed. Still high, they were not unlikely to take a second and third prey just to keep that power rising. Of course, if they didn't stop at all, at some point they would turn into ravenous monsters and would no longer be classified as vampires even by their own kind. Mikoto had told her how matriarchs usually hunted down those beings and took them out.

She had faith in Mikoto. If any vampire could control those urges, it would be her.

A low, long-winded growl escaped Mikoto's throat, like an impatient dog waiting for the clearance signal. Kuroko's guts curled. She had the gun, and she had the Nottub Niw. Together, they might be enough to take out Mikoto once her power returned to more normal levels. She had no way of knowing whether she could take her on even then though. Yet even so, that growl gave her hope. She was not being ignored.

She glanced at the girl trapped in the predator's hold. "Are you okay, Saten-san?"

Saten-san met her gaze. It wavered, but then shone with determination. "I think she needs it." She barely whispered the words, and the movement of her throat brought another growl from the vampire capturing her.

"Saten-san…" Uiharu whispered in a shiver, pressed into the wall beside the two of them. Her blouse was askew and her shoulders shook under the small cape she wore over them.

Kuroko clenched her fingers around the gun. They were deadlocked at the moment, but she had the feeling that Mikoto was growing impatient. If it came down to it, the first to strike would win this struggle.

"Mikoto." She spoke clearly. "You are to stop when we say so. Do you understand?"

Communicating with a senseless beast was usually no good. Mikoto did not answer, did not look at her. She kept staring at Saten-san, saliva dripping from her fangs.

"You may still be hungry when that happens, but if you do not stop, I will kill you." Kuroko's heart clenched; in the first place, she wondered if she even could.

Mikoto growled again, this time a lot lower. Perhaps she did not like the sound of it, but she may have agreed. Kuroko hoped that's what it meant.

She swallowed. "Good. Then please, take a drink. Slowly."

Mikoto did not wait. Her fangs sank into Saten-san's neck and Saten-san gasped; the saliva of the vampire dulled the pain and made the entire procedure feel rather good, or so Kuroko had heard.

She had never been this close to a feeding vampire without killing it. She watched as Mikoto's fangs sank all the way in, precious blood flowing up. Mikoto was calmer than she'd expected, pulling her fangs back out and then licking at the wound. Her saliva would make sure it kept bleeding, and the blood flow increased as more of it entered the wound.

"Ah-!" Saten-san was gasping, looking exalted at worst, and Kuroko kept the gun steady. Saten-san might not be able to tell them when it was too much. How much did Mikoto need in order to pass the limit and regain some of her old power? Kuroko gritted her teeth. Mikoto looked like she enjoyed it as well, eagerly lapping up Saten-san's blood. The electric sparks in her bangs snapped playfully and Kuroko could sense how her presence magnified. Watching the vampire drink was sensual, and Kuroko's heart started beating more quickly.

_This is bad_. She was being pulled along by Mikoto's allure, starting to feel like she wanted to be next. _It looks so good. _Mikoto's throat moved tantalizingly as she swallowed and it was plainly visible how the blood affected her. She seemed warmer, stronger, more beautiful by the second. Kuroko gasped down air in gulps and Saten-san moaned, clawing at Mikoto's arms. Apparently enjoying this reaction, Mikoto sucked at the wound and then poised her fangs above it again, preparing to bite once more.

Kuroko snapped out of it then. There was already so much energy in the vampire that the air literally crackled around them. Saten-san looked pale, yet lost in euphoria. Mikoto was still not full obviously, but she was no longer starving either.

"That's enough!" Kuroko pressed the gun into Mikoto's temple, finger hovering over the trigger.

Mikoto stilled, and now she finally acknowledged Kuroko's presence, glancing at her from the corner of her eyes. Yet she didn't move, and her fangs scratched on Saten-san's skin.

Kuroko pulled in deep breaths. "Mikoto. Stop." Her insides were burning, the strain of keeping her energy levels at maximum starting to get to her. Kuroko was certainly powerful, but she had her limits.

"Wanna try?"

Kuroko's throat constricted as Mikoto suddenly spoke. No doubt the meal had helped pull her out of the beastial state, but her eyes still glinted and her vampire traits were on full display.

Kuroko's eyes narrowed. "What?"

Mikoto raised a hand and pushed the gun away. Even though Kuroko was holding it in place with all her strength, it was like there was no resistance at all. She was brushed aside like an insect, and Mikoto turned towards her.

"It's delicious."

She let go of Saten-san, who collapsed to the ground. Uiharu ran to her side and pulled her head into her lap, putting a hand over the wound and starting her low chanting that would help it heal.

Mikoto closed in on Kuroko and Kuroko raised her hand with the ball of light.

"Don't make me use this, Mikoto."

"She's still alive isn't she?" Mikoto pushed her hand aside again and Kuroko realized she stood no chance. Mikoto was exceptionally powerful, especially so right after feeding. The vampire closed the distance between them and leaned down, cradling Kuroko's chin in her strong fingers.

"Here, have a taste." Their lips connected, and Kuroko recognized the metallic taste of blood. Saten-san's blood. She tried to pull away, but there was no way. She could feel Mikoto's fangs and her tongue touched one of them; more blood lingered on them. The kiss was becoming heated and Kuroko's brilliant aura faded as she let her power disperse. She knew now. Mikoto had urges, just like other vampires. But hers were highly sexual. Was it because she was a matriarch? Sharing the blood of prey with a potential mate. Kuroko felt loved, yet it also disturbed her. She put her hands on Mikoto's chest and attempted to increase the space between them.

"M-Mikoto." She pulled in a gulp of air between her eager kisses, and Mikoto, in answer, stepped even closer. "N-not now. This is not the t-time or place." Kuroko gasped as Mikoto's hand slid down her back, teeth nibbling at her lip. Her fangs were still at large, and Kuroko knew better. Mikoto had always been particular about having eaten her fill before their intimate sessions.

"Come on." Mikoto licked her lips. Kuroko twisted her arms free and tried to push her off.

"No. Not while you're still hungry. Besides, this is not the place for it."

"I want you."

"Later. Later, Mikoto! First we need to get out of here!" Kuroko fought her, and suddenly Mikoto snapped. With an angry growl she grabbed her and before she knew it Kuroko was trapped on the ground. Mikoto sat over her waist, looking down at her with dark eyes - not bloody red anymore, at least - chest rising and falling with her breaths.

_God, she is beautiful. _Kuroko would sin as much as she had to in order to stay with Mikoto. She was kind, strong and beautiful, everything Kuroko had longed for her entire life. Even though she was a matriarch, Mikoto had no pack of her own. She refrained from turning people and ate once a week to sustain herself, not to indulge in the power it brought. She never drank her victims dry.

Kuroko loved her so. Yet she was scared, frightened that Mikoto would lose herself and accidentally kill someone.

Mikoto leaned down, stroking Kuroko's forehead. Kissed her, licking her lips. Her scent was overwhelming, attractive, the power she possessed demonic and wonderful. Kuroko felt safe in her care, but at the same time, she knew better. Mikoto might be a kind vampire, but she was still a vampire. Right now even more so than usual. Still hungry, the matriarch was pulled along by her instincts, and Kuroko could tell she was nurturing the urge to taste Kuroko. She had been saying so ever since they met. She had wanted to bite her ever since that first time, and every time they made love her desires manifested in licking and nibbling on her throat. There was no doubt to Kuroko that Mikoto wanted her blood more than anything. But that was fine.

She loved her either way.

Mikoto's fangs scraped by her cheek and the vampire's breath was becoming ragged, eager. She was turned on, and Kuroko was as well, squirming beneath her as her tongue tasted the skin of her cheek. "Don't… don't bite."

"I want you," Mikoto purred, a sound that reverberated deep into Kuroko's core. It hurt, but she had to resist.

"No. Right now, all you want is to eat."

"What's wrong with that?" She leaned down and her tongue touched Kuroko's throat, a shudder of delight travelling through her.

"You promised to stop." She had growled; Kuroko took that as a promise. "You're not starving any longer and we all need our strength in order to get out of here." She raised her hands again and pushed at Mikoto's chest. The tension in her body increased and Mikoto pulled back with a snarl, glaring down at her, fangs displayed.

Kuroko stared up at her solemnly. "I want you as well, but right now we need to get Saten-san and Uiharu to safety. Gilmore is out there as well. After…" she swallowed heavily, "after we're safe, I'll let you taste." She trembled, the idea of being bitten still traumatic. Yet she had to make Mikoto cooperate.

Mikoto looked doubtful, but Kuroko met her gaze steadily and repeated herself. "I'll let you taste. After we're out, and safe, with Saten-san and Uiharu." She would stay true to her word. Even as her eyes filled with tears on the idea of being bitten, she would not back down. Mikoto watched her, and then she stroked the tears away with her thumb.

Kuroko was relieved to see the intensity in her eyes ebb out, and the crushing aura she had been emitting withdrew somewhat. It was still stronger than normal; no doubt due to her staying in her vampire form. Kuroko stared at her and more tears ran down her cheeks.

"You are so beautiful."

Mikoto smiled, and the warmth of her gaze enveloped Kuroko in all the safety in the world. "Sorry for scaring you, Kuroko."

Kuroko's relief was so immense she could only put her arm over her eyes and let the tears roll. Mikoto stroked her arm, none of the harsh strength displayed now. Then she stood up, and Kuroko heard her walk over to the other girls.

"How is she, Kazari?"

"Eh!?" Uiharu was nervous, and Kuroko smiled despite herself. "Sh-She'll be fine, don't worry, Misaka-san! You stopped in time!"

Mikoto was so wonderful. Why would anyone want to set her up like this? Kuroko had no doubts as to Gilmore's plans. He had meant to wait until Mikoto snapped and then set her loose on the unsuspecting village, just like he'd done back there. He wanted her targeted by Judgment, and if every one of Judgment's vampire hunters was after her, even Mikoto…

Kuroko's tears stopped and she stared into the darkness of her arm with a frown. That was too easy, wasn't it? Kuroko had not even managed to scratch her. Even when she had her at point blank range with her full power at display, Mikoto had not flinched nor deemed her a great enough threat to offer her a single look. It may have been due to the state she'd been in, but Kuroko started to question it. She had heard tales of battles against wayward matriarchs from ages past. The vampire hunters had been in the hundreds, and yet it took days to wear down the vampire. In some of the tales, other matriarchs even assisted in the fight.

There was no way Mikoto would go down so easily. Would Judgment even send anyone after her? Kuroko had been sent to observe her, kill her if deemed a threat - did they really think she could? Naturally, that was before she disobeyed their orders and decided to stick with Mikoto. Really, the matriarch might as well have turned her into a pack member. Kuroko was deeply and hopelessly in love with her.

She knew it was the same for Saten-san and Uiharu. Although they had initially been scared of Mikoto, once they got to know the vampire they had grown fond of her. Of course they would. Mikoto had been out hunting when she stumbled upon Saten-san, and instead of eating her, had taken pity on her state and brought her to a doctor. That's where she met Uiharu, the cleric who'd healed her up.

"Shirai-san, are you okay?" Uiharu was above her, and gentle fingers touched her arm. Kuroko smiled tiredly.

"Yeah. I am." She removed her arm and sat up, smiling still. "We should get going."

She looked behind her, and seeing how Mikoto had picked up Saten-san, her smile grew warmer.

XXX

They left the cellar and even though they were prepared for battle, no one met them outside. Kuroko narrowed her eyes, worry gnawing at the back of her mind. As they ran through the outer layer of the prison, they did not meet a single person.

"Where did everyone go?" Uiharu seemed to have picked up the strangeness as well, looking worried.

"They're better off staying away." Mikoto's gaze was less like a beast's and more like a proper vampire now. Her pupils were still darker than the usual chestnut brown, but Kuroko found this look also attractive.

"Maybe…"

They exited the prison and ended up on the big open area separating the different buildings of the estate. At the far end was the wall, closed gates. It would be no problem for them to move past them, but there was another hurdle before that.

"Gilmore…" Kuroko's eyes narrowed. What was he doing? All alone, the high-ranked vampire hunter stood on the middle of the field. As they exited the prison doors, he turned towards them. He was wearing his armor, blonde hair spiked against the sky and glasses glinting. He carried his helmet under his arm.

"I was wondering when you'd come out."

He smirked their way, eying one after the other, lingering on Mikoto and Saten-san in her arms. "Is she dead?"

Mikoto frowned. "Kuroko, is he a…?"

Kuroko was tense. "Elite vampire hunter. Gilmore has more than two hundred kills to his name."

Mikoto's eyes narrowed. "He's more of a beast than me then."

There was no arguing that. Gilmore was also powerful. His proud stature revealed a confidence that Kuroko did not understand. Was he going to face them here, alone?

"I see you're over your desperation, Railgun." He turned towards them fully, adjusting his glasses. "Too bad I had to waste it like that. But I am surprised. You didn't manage to kill even one."

Kuroko bristled. "Mikoto does not kill!"

His smirk widened. "So I've heard. But you see, that's not going to work." He put an arm out, as if in invitation. "Fight me, Railgun."

"What?" Kuroko's eyes widened.

He stared right at Mikoto, ravenous glee in his eyes. "I have fought four of your kin. I have fought, and been killed, four times. Thus, I have the power of four matriarchs." His lips pulled even higher. "I require more."

That was insane. Kuroko stared at him in shock, and tried to make sense. He wanted to fight Mikoto? Wait, he wanted to fight her, and die? How was that logical at all?

Mikoto was glaring at him. "I'm not going to fight you. Move aside." The command of her voice was enough so that even Kuroko had the urge to listen. But Gilmore merely grinned.

"Why do you think I captured you and let you starve for two months? I wanted to fight you in limitbreak. Too bad I had to waste it. However…" He bent his neck and it made a crack. "You have not sated your hunger just yet, have you?"

Mikoto growled.

"I figured as much. How valiant of you, keeping yourself from feasting on your cute little friends. You are truly the curiosity of the vampire world at the moment." His teeth were twinkling from the excessive grinning, and his eyes looked insane. "I require your power, Railgun. I have been observing you, and you are hiding amazing potential. Even with the power of four matriarchs, fighting you in limitbreak or at the top of your power might prove a challenge." He put both arms out, displaying his armored chest as if asking for her to charge him. "I need you to kill me, Railgun!"

Kuroko was stunned; Uiharu looked shocked. Mikoto's lips pulled up into a snarl.

"Wha-what is he saying?" Uiharu asked. "Why does he want to die?"

Kuroko frowned anew. "Mikoto…"

The vampire shook her head. "I don't know what he's up to. But we need to get past him."

"I will teleport."

Mikoto agreed. "Take Kazari and Saten-san." She handed Saten-san over to her. "I'll keep him distracted while you get them out. Then I'll follow."

Kuroko nodded. "Just be careful. Even though he's only one man, he is a seasoned vampire killer. You are not at the top of your strength right now."

Mikoto cracked her knuckles. "I know. I'll just distract him a little. Not like he can touch me anyway."

That was true. This arrogant confidence was what suited Mikoto best. She was strong, and she knew it. Just like the other matriarchs, she had complete confidence in her own power.

"Are you accepting my offer, Railgun?" Gilmore looked excited. "I'm giving you the opportunity to eat your fill. Suck me dry!"

Mikoto crouched, lowering her head. "Dream on."

She charged in. Kuroko teleported at the same time, and appeared about halfway to the gates with Uiharu and Saten-san, some distance away from Gilmore. Mikoto was already in front of him, moving with inhuman speed and leaving trails of electricity in her wake. Kuroko was about to teleport again when something incredible happened. Gilmore crouched and then launched forward as well. He met Mikoto head on with a cry of war. Mikoto dodged away, and although she was quicker, he was far too fast for a normal human. His strike caught her off-guard, and Kuroko's face drained of blood when she saw the matriarch blown away, tossed to the ground and skidding over it like she just stepped on a landmine.

"Mikoto!"

The vampire was quickly back to her feet, but the blow had surprised all of them.

"He knocked down Misaka-san?" Uiharu was stunned.

Kuroko gritted her teeth. Was he being serious when he said he had the power of four matriarchs?

XXX

Gilmore stretched his neck, grinning again. He tossed his helmet aside, rolling his shoulders. Mikoto had to admit, he did indeed look powerful in that armor.

"Do not take me lightly, Railgun. If you're meaning to come at me, you better come seriously." His grin nearly split his skull in two. "You better come to kill me, Railgun!" He stomped forward, and Mikoto tensed. Electric charges spat from her bangs and she fired a lightning strike.

"Haaah!" Gilmore roared and knocked his hand at the strike; the lightning bent off like it'd been deflected. Mikoto pulled back in shock. _He bent my lightning? How is that even possible? _She should have known, having been captured by this man in the first place. He had surprised her when she was out hunting that night, but she'd contributed his sneaking up on her to pure luck on his part and distraction on her part, and that damn net did the rest.

Gilmore was coming at her, grinning madly. "Are you prepared yet, Railgun!?"

Mikoto's shoulders tensed and she gritted her teeth, fangs glinting.

"That's not going to intimidate me!" He leapt at her, and she jumped - soaring into the sky and turning to fire another strike from above - yet he was already there, right in front of her. _How the-!?_

"Hiyaaah!" Clasping his hands into a hammer, he struck down at her head. Mikoto was knocked towards the ground like a rocket and dust and dirt exploded into the air from the impact.

"Mikoto!" Mikoto heard Kuroko scream her name, but there was no time to reassure her. She got up on all fours, coughing dust from her lungs, as Gilmore dropped down in front of her. Stiffening, she looked up, just in time to see him raise his leg.

"Is this all you've got!?" His foot swung down like an axe and she raised her hands, taking the blow head on. She managed to stop it from connecting with her head, but the strain of keeping him at bay made her arms shake.

_What's with this guy? He's a human, yet- _Mikoto glanced at his face, the leering grin he was giving her. _He's way too strong! _With a roar of defiance, she pushed the foot away and got to her feet, pulling backwards. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she eyed him carefully. Her stomach growled.

He was still grinning, coming towards her. "Aren't you hungry, little vampire girl? I have the most delicious blood. I know it takes a lot of energy to use your abilities like that; what little you gained from the girl over there can't have been enough to sustain you for long."

She pulled back as he came nearer, looking right and left for something to help her. Nothing. _Damnit!_

"I am a big man. There is lots of blood flowing in my veins. You just have to claim it." He was breathing heavily, excitement rolling off of him. "Your power will spike like nothing you've ever felt before."

Mikoto gritted her teeth and put a hand into her pocket, pulling out a bullet. _I have no choice! We've gotta get out of here!_

She raised the bullet and aimed at him. "Let us go!"

He stopped, grin widening. Then, to her amazement, he spread his arms. The aura he was emitting was enormous, more powerful than any human she had met before. Even Kuroko in her most powerful state could not compare.

_Does he really possess the strength of four matriarchs?_ Her eyes quivered. _Having been killed four times… absorbing their strength?_

She growled. _That's ridiculous. If he wants to die, then so be it!_

She planted her feet into the ground and fired the bullet at three times the speed of sound. The roar of thunder was enormous, the ground ripping apart between them. Yet the explosion came from behind her, and her eyes widened as she realized her railgun had just tore into the prison they escaped from. _He… deflected it? _Drops of sweat formed on her brow and suddenly, her knees felt weak. _No way… does he really…?_

Gilmore was right in front of her. His eyes were glowing, massive power rolling off his form.

"There's a good girl. How about you drain me dry now?" He licked his lips. "I want that power of yours. Such magnificent power."

Mikoto stared up at him, and he grabbed her throat, lifting her from the ground with ease.

"Mikoto!" Kuroko's voice reached her, and she glanced over, seeing the three of them stranded halfway to the gates, surrounded by guards with pikes. Kuroko could not leave Kazari and Saten-san, but she looked like she was seriously considering it.

_No, stupid… you need to escape! _She wanted to tell her, but she could hardly breathe. Gilmore's heartbeat was quick and excited, she could feel it in his wrist, which she grabbed onto. Even clenching with all her strength did nothing to faze the man, and she glared at him.

"You want to eat, don't ya?" He grinned, and her stomach growled again.

Mikoto gritted her teeth. "I don't want to eat _you_."

"Oh but you do. I can see it in your eyes." His eyes glinted. "You want to drink my blood, punish me, sate your hunger."

"Khh-" She strained against his grip, but there was no use. Shocking him was useless as well, seeing how the sparks merely ran along his arm harmlessly. _What the hell am I supposed to do? _Iron sand - but she could no more than bring up a single tendril of it before he clenched her throat even harder and she lost concentration due to lack of air. If he really had four of the matriarch's powers, then…

_He wants mine as well?_

Gilmore reached up with his free hand and released the plate on his shoulder. It fell to the ground with a thud and his exposed skin was under, brimming with blood and power.

"Come on," he said, "show me your fangs." His fingers clenched around her jaw and the strength of the grip was too much, forcing her mouth to open. She clenched her eyes shut, unable to stand watching his face any longer.

"Yes, such beautiful fangs." He stroked them with his finger, and then touched the sharp end, nicking his thumb. Mikoto hissed as the scent of blood touched her nostrils, and swallowed heavily as he dragged his fingers along her lips, leaving the taste of blood.

_Don't - don't! _The urge to lick her lips was overwhelming, her insides tightening into a knot. She may have just eaten, but it really wasn't anywhere near enough. The hunger ravished her insides, and especially now, the tantalizing scent of his blood trailing her lips. She gulped down air, and Gilmore was breathing heavily.

"It is impossible to resist, no? You want it so much…"

She strained in his grip again, but he was too strong.

"It's building inside you… the hunger, so strong…"

She gasped, tendrils of hunger gripping at her limbs. _It's happening again!? _Had she spent the energy gained from Saten-san so quickly? She bit her lip, staring at the sky. _If - if I go into limitbreak once more, I won't be able to stop it, will I? _She'd most likely do exactly what he wanted, and she doubted Kuroko would be able to stop her this time. With Saten-san and Kazari it was different. For this guy, she had nothing but hate. Only raw hunger would be driving her.

His thumb, still bleeding, trailed over her lips again and she shuddered against the strain in her body. She wanted it, so much.

"Come on, Railgun. Feed." His thumb went into her mouth and her breath hitched. Her senses were sharpening, all colors growing crisp and defined, sounds clear as crystal. She could hear the beat of his heart, excited and expectant, and the beat of Kuroko's heart, afraid and worried. All the guards, Saten-san and Kazari. His thumb touched her tongue and the taste of blood teased her tastebuds. They flared to life, and she drew a staggering breath as the adrenaline surged in her body. _No! Stop! _But there was no stopping it. Her chest heaved and what little reserves had managed to be preserved filled her limbs to the brim. Her eyes grew bloody red and her lips pulled into a snarl. _More! Blood! I - need it! Now!_

XXX

Kuroko's insides froze as she watched Gilmore playing with the vampire without a care in the world. She understood everything now. Why he had kidnapped Mikoto. Why he had starved her. Why he met them head on out here.

The man was insane, that was one thing. Another was the fact that he actually seemed to harbor the power of several matriarchs. Knocking down Mikoto so easily, making her look like a regular human girl in his grip - it was impossible. Yet she was seeing it happen. And now, he was playing another game, and that was using the fact that Mikoto was still very hungry - and had already used up a lot of energy in the fight - and was pushing her into limitbreak once more. Kuroko had never heard of a vampire entering limitbreak twice in such a short time. But Mikoto had not expended all of that reserve power when facing Kuroko; in fact, she had probably not even scratched the surface. _Should I have let her bite me when we had the chance? _Kuroko chastised herself, but she had not anticipated this crazy scenario.

She watched Gilmore stick his bleeding thumb into Mikoto's mouth and her heart stopped. Forcing her to eat - it was ridiculous. Nobody forced a vampire to feed. Yet he clearly was. Charges spit forth from Mikoto's body and the hunger in her eyes was somehow even greater this time. She bit down on the thumb in her mouth and Gilmore pulled his head back in a show of ecstasy.

Kuroko just now witnessed how great the burst of power in Mikoto's system was. That a vampire received a boost in strength during limitbreak was common knowledge - there were even studies on the exact numbers. But not on a matriarch. And Kuroko had never seen the comparison with her own eyes. But now, Mikoto grabbed the hand holding her in that chokehold and carefully broke the fingers away. Gilmore yelped and pulled his arm away, and Mikoto was freed. As he cradled his broken fingers, the vampire charged in and punched his gut - crushing the armor like it was nothing but glass - and sent him flying just like he had done with her.

Kuroko's insides throbbed. _He has the strength of four matriarchs… _then just how strong was Mikoto right now? Suddenly, Kuroko knew. Back there, in the prison, she had not been facing Mikoto's full power. Even in limitbreak, something inside her recognized Kuroko and the others as friends. That was why Kuroko had not been killed in the very first charge, and why her voice had reached her when Mikoto was about to feed on Saten-san.

A matriarch was really on a whole other level. And right now, she had no reason to hold back.

Gilmore hit the ground and Mikoto was over him the same second, crushing the armor on his chest with her fist. He coughed as the air was knocked out of him, and the ground below him cracked from the excess force. She must have broken some ribs with that hit. Kuroko's heart was racing, her head throbbing from the concussion. The guards around them were uneasy, disturbed at seeing their boss so easily beaten by the girl who up till now had seemed like an easy match for him. Mikoto picked up Gilmore by the hole in his armor easily with one arm, and then threw the man in their direction. The guards yelled and tried to avoid the flying projectile of a man, and Kuroko jumped aside, Saten-san in her arms, while Uiharu shrieked and covered her head. Gilmore hit the building behind them in an explosion of rubble, and a bolt of lightning struck him right after, striking the walls and the ground with tendrils of electricity.

Kuroko's heart hammered. "We need to move."

She pulled Uiharu with her, moving towards the edge of the building, past bewildered guards.

"Hey!" One of them swung his pike their way. "S-Stay where you are! You're hostages!"

Kuroko huffed. "Do you really think she cares?"

A blur of lightning crashed into the group of guards behind them, several of whom were thrown into the air from the shockwave. The guard in front of them looked more and more nervous, but his fear was giving him courage. Somehow. "Get to the wall. Stay there!"

Kuroko obeyed, not about to take him on under the current circumstances. Not pulling any attention towards themselves was probably better. They pulled back to the wall and the guard followed, throwing nervous glances at the battle in progress.

When the dust dispersed, Mikoto's lightning-spitting form was still standing, heaving for breath. Kuroko glanced at her, seeing the drops of sweat on her forehead and throat and the intensity of the bloodlust in her eyes. _She still hasn't succumbed to it? _She frowned, feeling sweaty as well. _What is she doing?_

XXX

Mikoto pulled in mouthfuls of air, staring at the beaten form of Gilmore by the wall. He was still conscious, and somehow, still grinning. He was bleeding too. The smell ravished her, and the urge to feed paralyzed her for a second. Then she put her hands to her head and roared, letting out an explosion of electricity that struck wildly around her.

"I see." Gilmore's voice reached her as the electricity once more returned to coil around her, and her eyes widened. "I guess this is the secret to your speckless record, hm? Even in limitbreak, you are able to fight the bloodlust." He chuckled. "Such a useless ability. Are you not hungry enough yet?"

_Hungry. _Her stomach tightened. Blood. She needed blood. Her eyes searched the ground and fell on a guard.

"No, not him, Railgun. Me." Gilmore's voice speared her. "You need to feed on me. You tasted my blood, did you not? Was it not delicious?"

She licked her lips, remembering the taste. Thick, savory, slightly salty. Delicious. _Food. Blood. _Her gaze swayed and she picked up movement in the corner of her eyes. In an instant she was on it, sinking her teeth into the guard's neck. He cried out, and she growled; too hungry, too angry, too high strung to use any tact or manners. She dug her teeth into his neck and throat, ripping off flesh until the blood sprayed over her tongue.

Loud laughter penetrated her ears and they twitched.

"Ahahah!" It was Gilmore. "I thought Shirai-san said our dear Railgun never killed?" His eyes turned darkly gleeful. "I guess that was childish wish-thinking from her part. There's no way a vampire can rise to the rank of matriarch without ever killing her prey."

Mikoto shut out his voice, concentrating on lapping up the blood. It didn't taste particularly good, and when the spray stopped and the blood merely trickled from the wound, she let the man drop to the ground. She felt great. Life was surging back into her. _More._ There was more than enough food here, but none that seemed tantalizing. She sought out the heart beating hardest and dug her teeth into another neck.

"Railgun." A tempting voice spoke, and she glanced at the man whose thumb she had bitten. Her lips pulled into a sneer and she dropped the man she'd just bitten. "Yesss, that's it. It's me you want. I taste a lot better than them. I can sate your hunger properly. Just drink it all up."

XXX

Kuroko, Kazari and the guard were all standing entirely still, having seen how Mikoto charged at the one guard who had tried to run. The ferocity she displayed was entirely alien. Kuroko had always thought of her as refined and gentle with her victims. Apparently, circumstances mattered. As well as the fact that limitbreak was different. Yet Mikoto did not even finish the men she bit into, and Kuroko's throat constricted.

_There's so much food that she has the opportunity to be picky. _Sadly, it seemed like Mikoto's refined tastes were drawn more towards Gilmore than any of his men. Did it really taste that different? She wondered for a second how _her_ blood would taste, and pulled a sharp breath.

"Shut up!" The guard hissed, pressed into the wall beside them. He had lost his guts the moment he saw what Mikoto did to his colleagues.

XXX

Gilmore was fascinated by the intense power present in Mikoto's gaze. He had never fought a matriarch in limitbreak before, and he was thrilled to see that their power boosted this much.

"Come on." He tempted her closer, seeing the insatiable hunger in her expression. Two months without food. No doubt she would drink him dry. She had displayed an incredible self-control up to now, but at this point the hunger must be taking over. He just needed her to feed. It didn't matter how much she beat him up, as long as she fed on him till the end.

Mikoto closed in on him, dragging in his scent and apparently approving. His heart sped up as she approached, touching his neck, then leaning in and tasting it with her tongue. "It's good, good!" He coaxed her, and Mikoto growled. He chuckled. "Yes, I know. You decide. I swear I'm good though." He dragged a sharp breath as she poised her fangs on the flesh of his neck, and his fists clenched in anticipation. Her fangs sank into his flesh and he let out a long gasp.

"Aaaah-" His heart pumped even faster, and when she started drinking his blood, his whole body shuddered. "Oh yes!" His arms flexed and he closed his eyes. As her saliva entered his bloodstream, the power started seeping into him. It didn't matter if he was too beaten up to use the power he already possessed. Soon he'd be even stronger. He breathed evenly, allowing her peace to keep feeding. _All the way to the bottom._ He hissed as her power entered his heart and strained as it grew inside him.

Suddenly, her hand touched his stomach through the hole she'd punched in the armor earlier, and he hissed at the pain in his cracked ribs.

"Bye."

His eyes widened as he felt the metal bullet against his skin, and panic tore through him. _If you do it like that I'll really-! _"Wai-" There was no time to say anything else before the world was torn apart.

XXX

The railgun fired at point blank range tore a hole through the entire building. Kuroko's throat tightened, but when Mikoto became visible again and the dust settled, she looked relieved, and Kuroko knew Gilmore was dead. Not sucked dry as he wished for, but blasted away into oblivion. Kuroko gritted her teeth, forcing her body to stop trembling.

"Wha-What the hell is wrong with that monster!?" The guard beside them screeched, and Mikoto glanced at him. Her pupils were still red, although dulled. Hunger, still hungry. Yet more controlled now. She had drank a little, probably enough to regain some senses. The guard panicked and ran, and Kuroko closed her eyes. A rush of wind passed by them, static making the hairs on her arm stand on end. The guard's cry as he was caught, and then the gurgling sound of him drowning in his own blood. Uiharu was clenching her body around Kuroko's arm, and she drew a deep breath.

When she opened her eyes, Mikoto sat hunched over on the ground, sobbing. Kuroko's heart broke and she approached slowly, despite Uiharu's protests. As she came nearer, she heard Mikoto's sobs, and saw the guard on the ground, eyes open in a panicked stare and throat ripped open. She swallowed heavily, knowing Mikoto usually refrained from such brutality.

Perhaps that was why she was crying.

"Mikoto." Kuroko spoke her name softly, and that made the vampire curl up and hide her face in her knees.

"Don't look at me."

It stung. "Why?" Kuroko wanted to reach out and hold her, but she didn't know yet what state she was in. Except upset.

"I didn't want to. I couldn't stop it. I'm so hungry," she cried, and Kuroko's gut twisted.

"Still hungry?"

"I can't eat them. It tastes horrible." She clenched her head in her hands.

"What would make them taste good?"

Mikoto hiccuped. "I can't eat like this. It's wrong. I'm just a - monster like this."

Kuroko's guts coiled. "You are not a monster!"

"Then what do you call this!?" Mikoto yelled without looking up, and Kuroko eyed the area. The guards, those who had not somehow been able to flee in the first chaos, were all knocked out or dead. Shocked, bitten, knocked senseless by shockwaves or random lightning. Gilmore was just a hole in a building.

Her stomach grew cold. "You're a matriarch. Of course-"

"Shut up!" Mikoto pressed her hands against her ears. "That's no excuse!"

Kuroko faltered, stunned into silence. Mikoto looked pale, and as she watched, the vampire matriarch doubled over and started coughing. Kuroko turned away out of respect and waited until Mikoto had thrown it all up, and just her sobbing remained. As she turned back, a pool of blood spread across the ground below her, and Mikoto stood on all fours, trembling as she cried.

Kuroko's stomach churned. _She passed the limitbreak, and didn't get to replace the lost blood. _She knew what this meant. Right now, Mikoto had used up all of her reserves. She had beaten the man with the power of four matriarchs at the cost of spending all of her energy. And because of something Kuroko did not yet understand, she was unable to eat the victims of the fight. She could not handle eating like a beast. It was comforting, but this also meant Mikoto was on her last sliver of life. Her aura of power was completely gone, and she somehow looked more human in that instant than Kuroko had ever seen her.

At this rate, she would die from hunger. With no special abilities, she had no hope of hunting anyone but kids and people weaker than herself. Even if she did, she would most likely not be able to eat, just like she failed in eating these men.

Kuroko knew what she had to do.

"Mikoto." She reached down and grabbed her arm, helping the girl into a sitting position. She noticed that her pupils were still red, though dulled, almost the usual brown. It would probably be that way until she could sate the ravishing hunger. Kuroko grew determined, and pulled down the collar of her shirt. "Drink."

"Eh?" Mikoto stared at her, and Kuroko moved closer, offering her neck.

"You need to eat. Come on."

For a second, Mikoto breathed heavily, looking like she had never heard anything more tempting in her life. But then she gritted her teeth, and the next second, Kuroko's head turned sideways as her cheek was slapped.

"Are you crazy!?" Mikoto looked furious. Her cheek stung, but the inhuman strength she normally possessed was really gone. "Are you asking me to kill you as well? There's no way I'm going to do that!"

Kuroko blinked. "I-I don't mean to die…"

"Well that's what you're saying, offering yourself up like that!" She glared at her, getting to her feet. "I want to eat so bad I'd drain you dry in an instant. There's no way!" She stomped past her, and Kuroko remained sitting, stunned. Then she whipped around.

"Then what? You need to eat!"

Mikoto paused, staring at the ground. "I screwed up. It's my own problem, so stop thinking about it."

And with that, she went over to Uiharu, apologized for behaving like she had, and then headed for the gates. Kuroko froze up. _She's leaving!? _She teleported at once, appearing in front of her.

"Wait!"

"Now what?"

Kuroko dropped to her knees and bowed, begging. "Please stay with us."

Mikoto snapped at her. "Don't you realize what a bad idea that is? One little scratch and -"

"I'll find a way!" Kuroko pressed her forehead into the dirt, tears burning in the corners of her eyes. "Please! I will help you! Just - don't leave me, please!"

If she left, Kuroko did not know if she would ever see her again. She did not think it impossible that Mikoto would simply end up refusing to eat for the time she had left, and succumb to death somewhere far from Kuroko's reach. She would not let that happen.

Mikoto stood there for a while, regarding her. And then, she put her hands forth.

"Cuff me."

"What?" Kuroko looked up, relief and confusion both settled in her expression.

Mikoto looked serious. "Cuff me up. If I'm going to be with you, I don't want it to be easy for me to bite anyone. So you better make sure I can't."

Kuroko's body felt lighter, _she wants to come with us! _But at the same time, she felt horrible. Yet, she knew not to argue. Pulling out her silver handcuffs, she trapped Mikoto's hands in them. The vampire hissed as the silver touched her skin and Kuroko almost pulled them off again, but Mikoto would have none of it.

Kuroko picked up Saten-san again, still knocked out from the loss of blood, and the four of them exited the gates and headed into the wilderness beyond.

* * *

><p><strong>Note:<strong>

If you can correctly guess where this is going, you better go check if you're psychic. At a... psychic-checker clinic.

This was the pilot! Next time, the real story starts! Probably!


	2. The Ultimate Furry Dream

**Warning:  
><strong>Due to some content that will come up during the adventure, the rating has been upped to M - Mature.

* * *

><p><strong>XXX<strong>

**Part 2 - The ultimate furry dream**

"Take this!" As the rabbit leapt frightened along the forest floor, Ruiko sent her bat flying with a powerful toss. The imprint 'SA10' flashed the treetops before the metal weapon struck the rabbit in the head with a loud slam. The animal was knocked dead to the ground, and the bat slid onwards into a throng of spring flowers.

She returned to camp a few minutes later, waving her prize in the air. "Tonight's rabbit stew!"

"Yay!" Uiharu looked up from where she was fixing a cooking pot filled with water and herbs. "It's so good to see you up again, Saten-san!"

Ruiko sat down on the log in front of the burnt out campfire, placed the bat by her side, and pulled out her knife as she started to work the rabbit. Their camp was hardly noteworthy; they had spread their sleeping bags out on the ground and built a campfire in the middle. Uiharu was squatting in front of it, cutting up herbs and spices that she'd either had in her supply pouch or found growing along the forest floor in the area.

"I just needed a good night's rest, is all. Man, and this forest air is really helping! I love spring!" Ruiko looked up at the sunny sky with a big smile. "It always makes me think the world is becoming a better place, you know?"

Uiharu smiled, dropping more herbs into the pot, and then glanced over to the tree at the edge of their little camp. Ruiko followed her gaze, seeing Misaka-san where she sat by the tree, gazing at the rabbit with dull eyes. Her hands were still cuffed, wrists reddish from where the silver was constantly rubbing.

There was a twinge of worry in her gut. "Misaka-san does not look all that well."

Uiharu agreed. "I wonder if Shirai-san will be able to find a solution…"

Ruiko looked down at the rabbit she was preparing. "Why can't she just drink the blood of our food?"

"Vampires take on the form of their prey. If they prey on animals, they'll become animals. I don't think they can just switch like that though. Didn't Misaka-san say that animal blood smells nice, but tastes like poison?"

"Hmmm maybe you're right." Ruiko skinned the rabbit and tossed the fur away. "You always sound like you swallowed a book, Uiharu. It's amazing."

The cleric blushed. "I-I just like to read."

"So basically, Misaka-san is really hungry, so much so that she's lost all her power, and she refuses to eat because once she starts, she won't be able to stop."

Uiharu looked grave, so much so that even the flowers on her head were hanging. "She's dying, Saten-san."

A shudder went down Ruiko's spine. "Um, well! How about we nick our fingers and collect some blood in a cup? That way, once the cup is finished there won't be any more…" She trailed off at Uiharu's sigh.

"It's a nice idea, but think about what would happen. Once Misaka-san gets blood back into her system, her strength will return. If she can't control the urge to drink more, she'll break free and we'll have a major problem."

"Oh, that's true…" Ruiko stared at the rabbit. "Jeez, then what the heck should we do? The best thing would be to find some nasty bandits for her to take out, but if she can't even feed without all the sensuality…"

"That's why Shirai-san is so frantic. Misaka-san does not enjoy killing her prey, but she can't fight the bloodlust at this point. What we need is a way to stop her from feeding before the prey dies, just like with you."

Ruiko's hand hovered over the bite marks on her neck. "That was incredibly weird and fantastic, by the way."

"That's how she feeds, I suppose. So her prey wouldn't be able to stop her themselves. And I think Shirai-san is starting to doubt that she'd be able to either."

Ruiko hmm'ed, fixing up the rabbit. "What a pinch."

Further into the woods, Kuroko was gathering firewood absentmindedly, thinking non-stop about their current situation. She had hardly slept last night. Frightened that come morning Mikoto would already be dead, she ended up staring at the starry sky and checking on the vampire every time the dread became unbearable. Mikoto was obviously in pain. She no longer spoke, and she looked dull and sleepy most of the time. When they walked through the woods, she kept stumbling. It was painful to watch her in such a state, but Kuroko did not know what to do. If the choice was between having Mikoto die and being drained by the vampire herself, she knew what she would choose. But was there anything else to try before taking that last measure? And if it came to that, would draining Kuroko alone be enough, or would she move on to Saten-san and Uiharu and kill them too?

Kuroko glared at the branches in her arms as if they were at fault. _We need to find her something to eat by tomorrow. _There was also the fact that their backpacks, while packed for a trip to and from Gilmore's fortress, did not hold enough rations for a longer stay. They had already burned through a lot of the remaining food by trying to get some life back into Saten-san. They would need to refill soon enough.

XXX

The rabbit stew was delicious, but Kuroko could not fully enjoy it while knowing Mikoto was starving just behind them. The vampire hid her face in her knees, cuffed hands resting above them. She looked to the world to be asleep, but Kuroko wondered if that was it. At one point Saten-san could not stand it any longer and put a cup of rabbit stew beside her, despite knowing that it was not even considered food by the matriarch. Perhaps it made them feel better, but it did nothing to lessen Mikoto's hunger. Naturally, by the time they were ready to sleep the cup still stood untouched and Mikoto had not moved at all.

After the meal, Saten-san and Uiharu went off to the river to wash their cups and utensils.

Kuroko stood above Mikoto, looking at her exhausted form. Even now she was beautiful, but the life was ebbing out of her. The pain of watching her like this was making Kuroko's love brim.

She reached out and stroked her fingers across Mikoto's head. It was like she'd pulled the trigger of a gun. Mikoto lashed out, fangs grazing by Kuroko's arm even as she pulled it away. The vampire lunged forward and Kuroko fell to the ground, blood dripping from the small gash in her arm. She scurried backwards, and was relieved when Mikoto didn't follow, hands trapped and breathing heavily. No energy to hunt.

Kuroko got to her feet and backed off. She watched as Mikoto leaned down and licked the ground where Kuroko's blood had spilled. It was already seeping into the earth, yet Mikoto kept licking, as if just the smell was enough to sate her hunger for a moment. Even if she managed to get a drop out of it, it wouldn't be enough to return her strength. Kuroko looked at the small wound on her arm and the white fabric around it soaking up what little blood remained. Her insides curled, and her determination grew. She knew it was foolish of her to touch Mikoto like that, and had she had any less experience handling vampires, Mikoto might have trapped her there. They were basically dealing with a mindless predator at this point. Weak, yet still deadly.

Kuroko rummaged through their equipment until she found a rope. Forming a loop out of one end, she watched it darkly as she tugged at it, testing the strength. Then she wrapped up the tiny wound on her arm with a piece of cloth.

"Shirai-san?" Uiharu and Saten-san came back from the river. "What's going on?" Uiharu glanced at her wrapping her arm, and then looked at Mikoto, who was still licking the ground like in some sort of obsession. Her eyes widened. "She attacked you?"

Kuroko grunted and stood up, rope in hand. "It's my own fault. But I'm not going to take any more chances." She eyed Mikoto, wondering how to best do this. At this point, killing her may have been easier than trapping her. She doubted Mikoto had the power to survive her spikes or gun right now. Even holy water may have ended it for her.

She clenched the rope in her hand and squared her shoulders. "I'm going to tie her up and keep an eye on her. You two go to sleep."

They looked unsure, but Kuroko ignored them. Brandishing the rope like some sort of weapon, she carefully inched towards Mikoto. She seemed wholly absorbed by the drops on the ground, and even though she must have long since lapped up what little there was, she still kept licking the earth. It was a miserable sight. Kuroko gritted her teeth. _Here goes nothing._

She leapt forward and grabbed Mikoto's hair, pulling her head backwards. While the vampire growled in surprise and anger, Kuroko kneed her in the gut. Mikoto doubled over and she slipped the rope around her neck, pulling the loop tightly to her skin. Mikoto tried to punch her but she was nowhere near strong enough to do any damage, and the cuffs made it even harder to get a hit in. Kuroko jumped backwards and pulled the rope with her, slinging it around the tree Mikoto had been sitting by and teleporting several spikes into it to hold it in place. Her spikes, when teleported, would stick into the target with enormous friction, and it would be impossible for anyone to pull them out by hand. Mikoto would probably have pulled the entire tree down in the process, normally. But right now, she wasn't even able to snap the rope; it was too thick to bite through.

Kuroko backed off and gazed at her lover, feeling empty. "I'm sorry. But you did tell me not to make it easy for you."

Mikoto pulled at the rope but soon gave up and lay down on the ground instead, giving a defeated sigh. Kuroko sat down by the fire and put a hand to her head.

Uiharu and Saten-san still stood there, stunned, but now they carefully found their spots by the fire.

"Shirai-san." Uiharu's voice reached her, and Kuroko glanced at her, eyes burning with unshed tears. Uiharu looked serious. "Gilmore said there was a village nearby. Tomorrow, let's… let's go there!"

"What, are you planning to find Misaka-san something to eat by searching the streets?" Saten-san said.

Uiharu shook her head. "No, but they may have a cleric. And I… I think I have an idea."

Kuroko's eyes widened and she stared at Uiharu, breathless. "You know how to help her!?"

"Ah, well…" she fidgeted. "No… but maybe."

The flood of relief in Kuroko's system was so great that she could only hunch over, and finally the tears started running. "Thank god."

"I haven't done anything!"

Saten-san was grinning. "But I'm sure whatever Uiharu has in mind will solve everything!"

XXX

Even if their conversation had gotten her hopes up, the next morning brought nothing but misery to Kuroko. Mikoto was still lying in the same position as the evening before, flat on her side like a dog waiting to die. She was still breathing, but that was pretty much all she did. Her eyes were dull and she didn't even twitch when Kuroko came over to her. Kuroko stopped by her head and looked down. In the early sunlight her skin looked even paler than last night.

Uiharu and Saten-san were packing up their backpacks, and Kuroko stared down at Mikoto for a few more seconds, before walking over to the tree. She teleported the spikes out one after the other, putting them back into the belts on her thighs. Then she took the rope in her hand and walked back over to Mikoto. She still hadn't moved.

Kuroko squatted beside her and reached out, grabbing her shoulder. She waited, but she already knew there would be no reaction to speak of. Mikoto was totally burned out; not even enough energy to raise her head remained.

"Mikoto." Kuroko lightly shook her. "You have to get up. We'll be leaving for town."

There was not even a breath of reaction. She might as well have been trying to convince a sack of bricks to move out of the way. Kuroko stared at her, wondering what would be the best thing to do. Teleporting was always an option, but she couldn't take all four of them at once. Besides, it would require her to concentrate on the task, leaving her quite open for a potential bite if the urge struck.

Was she likely to even try to bite?

Kuroko hesitated, and then moved her hand. Touching Mikoto's jaw first, she trailed her fingers across her cheek. A low growl sounded from the depth of Mikoto's throat, but even if she acknowledged the touch she still did not move. At least she was still alive and aware, but Kuroko frowned.

"How much will you let me do?" She trailed her fingers to the edge of her mouth and briefly touched her lips. Mikoto twitched then, and her fingers curled on the ground. The growl grew fiercer, if only a little.

Yet she didn't bite.

Kuroko stared at her. "Are you really too weak, or are you just being stubborn?" At this rate, she was starting to wonder whether this behavior like a wild animal was even real. She knew normal vampires succumbed to such, but did a matriarch really sink that low? Was it all a means of keeping them away from her?

Kuroko's eyes narrowed. She knew a lot about vampires, and she knew a lot about Mikoto. Yet she had never seen Mikoto in a situation like this. To her, the matriarch had always been more human than vampire, even though she knew better. She was certain a normal vampire would never have allowed her to be this bold in such a state. Heart pounding, she was struck by a primal curiosity. How much could she do? She moved her fingers over Mikoto's lips and then touched her fang. The growl grew, and Mikoto's chest was rising and sinking with more intensity. Her eyes narrowed as well, the red color flaring. Even so, she still didn't bite.

There was no need to risk it, however. Kuroko pulled back.

"Shirai-san, are you ready?" Saten-san asked, looking over at them.

"Yes, in a moment," Kuroko answered, then looked down at Mikoto again. "We will be getting you something to eat today." She didn't know how, but she would save her. Even if it meant taking her far away from the others and then forcing her to feed like Gilmore had done. "But first, you have to cooperate and get up."

XXX

The village was small, no more than a bunch of houses thrown about haphazardly around the main road leading to Gilmore's fortress far to the east. After half-dragging, half-carrying Mikoto for a full hour, they arrived at the edge of the village and the people working in the field outside looked up at them curiously. With no big city nearby, they probably didn't get a lot of visitors apart from the occasional trade caravan.

"You got trouble, girls?" A man with a headband wiped the sweat off his brow and eyed the dead weight of Mikoto over Kuroko's shoulder. They had removed her handcuffs and the rope prior to approaching, since keeping them would only make it look like they'd taken her captive. Besides, she had been entirely still the entire time, seemingly perfectly fine with being dragged along - or too weak to do anything about it.

Kuroko met his gaze. "Do you have a cleric in the village?"

He nodded. "She lives in the house with the pink flowers on top of the hill. She's a bit of a weirdo, but she'll probably help you if she feels like it." He glanced back at them. "What happened? Bandits?"

"Yes. She took a blow to the head." Kuroko hoisted Mikoto onto her shoulder for a better position. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"Wait up." He jumped over the fence and came over to them. "Name's Touma. I'm a farmer by trade but I've had my experience on the battlefield. Let me carry her up for you."

Kuroko hesitated. "Ah - no, that's fine, thank you." She grinned. "We'll be on our way."

"No, no, I insist." He moved in and touched Mikoto's shoulder. Kuroko was shocked to feel her tense up, a deep growl building in the depth of her chest. She had been entirely placid all this time, but the moment this stranger touched her, it was like she woke from a deep slumber.

Kuroko did not wait to see what would happen. She slung Mikoto to the ground and grabbed her chin, forcing her mouth to close.

"What the heck was that? Fangs?" It was too late, as Touma stared down with huge eyes. "Is that a vampire!?"

Kuroko inwardly cursed.

"What the hell, they brought a vampire?" More of the villagers approached, gathering around to have a better look, and Touma looked surprised. Mikoto's eyes opened in slits, red pupils betraying her at once. Uneasy murmurs and angry voices rose in volume. "That's a vampire! What the hell are you doing!?"

"Misaka-san is really kind, really!" Uiharu protested. "She needs help! Please…"

"There's no way we'll help a beast!" One of the farmers brandished his pitchfork. "One of those monsters killed my wife! It's thanks to Gilmore-sama that we're all safe here, so what is she doing here!?"

Kuroko gritted her teeth. Telling them the news of Gilmore's sad death would probably not help their cause right now, but neither did the fact that she could tell Mikoto was getting worked up. She might have been able to stay tame - to the point of seeming totally dead - while it was only her friends around, but now, with so many hearts and excited voices and fear, her senses were kicking in. At least she would be unable to do anything as long as Kuroko held her in check.

"Stay calm," she whispered intently, feeling the tension increase in the body below her.

"They've brought us an injured vampire!" The villagers were getting worked up as well. "Burn it! Burn it at the stakes!" Mindless chanting erupted amongst them, and Touma the farmer seemed shocked.

"Hey guys, this girl is injured! She obviously hasn't killed her companions, so why would she kill us?"

Kuroko thanked him, although she was beginning to think that Mikoto had not attempted to kill them out of sheer stubbornness. It must be harder to resist the urge for survival when it came to strangers. The chanting grew in force and the villagers moved closer, brandishing pitchforks and axes and knives. They wouldn't be able to hurt Mikoto normally, but in her current state she was as vulnerable as any of them. Mikoto grabbed onto Kuroko's arm, but the vampire hunter refused to let go.

"Show them your fangs and you're dead." She glared at the girl below her.

"Kill it! Kill iiiiit!"

"What might be going on here?" In the midst of the raging villagers, a woman suddenly showed up. She was wearing a white coat and heavy bags hung under her eyes, hands stuffed into her pockets.

"Kiyama-sensei!?" The villagers pulled away from the woman like she was poisonous. Touma however looked relieved.

"Kiyama-sensei! These girls need your help!"

Kiyama-sensei glanced down at Kuroko and Mikoto, lingering on the latter. "Scaring her like that." She sighed, and Kuroko's eyes widened. She stared down at Mikoto and realized she had calmed down a notch. _Scared?_

"Touma-san, will you help them up to my lab?" Kiyama-sensei turned around. "I need to take a closer look in a quieter environment." As she sauntered back out of the crowd, Uiharu gave a deep sigh.

"She's really here!"

"You know her, Uiharu?" Saten-san sounded surprised.

"Kiyama-sensei is famous in the world of clerics!" Uiharu clasped her hands. "I'm sure she can save Misaka-san!"

Kuroko stared down at Mikoto's pale face, and hoped she was right.

XXX

"Hmmmm…" The woman called Kiyama had absolutely no expression on her face as she examined Mikoto's eyes with a small flashlight. The light reflected in the red pupils made them seem even more inhuman. Kiyama moved the flashlight downwards, pulling Mikoto's mouth open with her gloved hand. "Hmmm…" She stroked a thumb over her teeth and even tugged at one of the fangs.

"Um… Kiyama-sensei? What are you doing?" Kuroko was sitting at a chair a few meters away, watching the cleric work. Kiyama had said she could stay, but the others were waiting outside in the living room. Apparently, she didn't mind if it was a vampire hunter. Not that she had asked for any protection.

"Fascinating." Kiyama kept stroking Mikoto's fangs. "You won't bite no matter what I do, hm."

Kuroko's heart was hammering and she clenched her hands. "What do you mean?"

"Hmmm." Kiyama stared at Mikoto with an uninterested gaze, and then proceeded to pull off her coat. Kuroko thought maybe she was warm, and stiffened when the woman also pulled off her sweater, sitting there in just her bra.

"W-What are you doing?"

Kiyama moved forward and positioned her shoulder right in front of Mikoto's mouth. Yet the vampire showed no sign of even recognizing the move. She was completely lifeless at this point, so much so that Kuroko was amazed she could even sit in a chair.

Kiyama glanced at Mikoto from the side, then sighed and pulled back.

"Hunger shock."

Kuroko blinked. "What now?"

"It's rare, but I saw it once before in a test subject." The cleric touched Mikoto's lips again, without receiving any reaction. "Gilmore was quite fascinated by vampires, and I myself became something of an expert." She pulled back, sighing. From her words, Kuroko guessed she already knew Gilmore was dead. It made her feel uneasy. "We experimented on limitbreak and starved a specimen for three months."

The unease traded places with anger. "Why the hell would you do that!?"

"After the limitbreak passed, the vampire became completely lifeless. Refused to eat. When we forced it, he would throw everything back up." Kiyama looked thoughtful. "I never would have imagined the same to happen to a matriarch."

Kuroko's stomach grew icy cold. "Does that mean…"

"The instincts that makes her want to eat have shut down. At this rate, she will die in… well," she drawled, "the test subject lasted a week."

Kuroko stood up so abruptly that her chair fell over. "That's ridiculous." She strode over, pulling her sleeve up and, pushing Kiyama out of the way, stuck her arm up in front of Mikoto's mouth. "Eat!"

There was no reaction, and Kuroko's chest clenched. She grabbed Mikoto by the hair and forced her arm up into her teeth, fangs pressing against her skin. "You're dying of hunger, you fool! This is no time to stay stubborn!"

Still no reaction. Kuroko was trembling all over. "What's wrong with you!? You tried to bite me yesterday, didn't you? Don't be stupid!"

But no matter how much she yelled, Mikoto did not even acknowledge her presence.

Kuroko pulled away, disturbed to the core. "No way… is there nothing we can do?"

Kiyama hmmm'ed. "Say, how does she normally feed?"

Kuroko looked at the cleric. "She - she seduces them, I guess…" she had never really seen it until recently.

"Violent?"

"No… not unless you resist, I suppose." Or if she was _very _hungry.

"Hmmmmm." Kiyama stood up and walked over to a shelf which was stuffed full of bottles and boxes. Searching through the shelves almost all the way to the bottom, she picked up a bottle and looked at it. "Hmm." She carried it over to the bench and pulled out a syringe. Kuroko's heart jumped.

"What is that?"

"It is a mixture I created for another experiment." She dipped the tip of the syringe into the bottle, filling it up. "It is designed to reverse the process in a vampire's body when they feed."

"Reverse?" Kuroko frowned.

"Normally the vampire favors power over common sense. When starved, the first meal will provide them with the power to keep feeding before anything else." Kiyama turned around with the full syringe. "This reverses it."

"Wait, you mean it makes common sense return before power?" Kuroko could hardly believe that such a thing existed.

"Perhaps." Kiyama came back and grabbed Mikoto's hand, turning it over. She stared at her wrist for a long moment. "No blood, hmm. Let's hope I can hit a vein." She poised the needle of the syringe above her wrist, and Kuroko swallowed heavily. _If Mikoto can regain her senses and be reasoned with, then it might be possible… _She watched as Kiyama pushed the syringe in and emptied the contents into Mikoto's veins. She didn't react even to that, and Kuroko had to convince herself that she was still breathing and not already dead.

"Now what?" She asked, staring the empty syringe as Kiyama pulled it out.

"Now we make her eat."

That was the impossible part. "How?"

Kiyama gave her a bored look. "Seduce her."

Kuroko stared at her, and her cheeks slowly flushed. "W-What?"

"Make her interested in you. Rouse her up." Kiyama narrowed her eyes. "You are her love partner, aren't you?"

Kuroko flushed. "H-H-How can you tell!?"

She knocked a finger to the side of her head. "I have a brain."

Kuroko didn't even know what to say.

"Vampires form exceptionally strong bonds with their love partners." Kiyama elaborated. "Normally, they'll do anything to keep other vampires away from them. I am certain the smell and taste of your blood is deeply engraved in her." Kiyama leaned forward with what might pass as a smirk. "Why don't you let her have a taste?"

Kuroko's hand rose instinctively to her neck and a cold rush ran through her. Her fingers curled against her skin. "But she won't bite."

Kiyama's lips vibrated as if she thought the desire to grin. "There is more than one way to feed a cat."

It made no sense, but Kuroko understood. She didn't have to make Mikoto take the blood of her own free will. She remembered how Gilmore had forced her into it, and tensed. She would not do as he did.

"Please… leave," she asked.

Kiyama stood up, picking up her coat and sweater. "I will give you some privacy."

"Please take the others and leave; go to the village or something. If it works… well, if she wakes up and loses control…" she didn't want to risk more lives if possible.

Kiyama regarded her for a long moment.

"I see. I'll take them on a tour, if that makes you feel better."

Kuroko silently thanked her.

Once the woman left the room and closed the door behind her, Kuroko drew a deep breath and looked over at Mikoto. The vampire still looked as lifeless as ever, and Kuroko squared her shoulders. _I can do this_. Feeling her heart speeding up, she put a hand under Mikoto's chin and raised it up, simultaneously leaning down. _If she bites, it's all for the better_. Though her throat tightened at the idea of getting bitten, the important thing right now was to save Mikoto's life. Her lips touched Mikoto's and for a second she was stunned at how cold they were. She didn't let that discourage her however, and attempted to deepen the kiss, licking at Mikoto's teeth and in particular her fangs, which seemed to be more sensitive. It felt like making love to a doll, without any of the usual responses or the alluring aura and scents to back it up. Not to mention that Mikoto usually initiated their intimate moments. Kuroko ran her hands over her shoulders, but there was simply no reaction. Kuroko faltered, unsure of how to proceed.

However, what Kiyama had said held truth. There was more than one way of feeding a cat… if it refused to eat on its own, then stuff the food down its throat, right? It was a brutal idea, and Kuroko could not help but think of Gilmore again, making her shudder. That was so wrong. _There is more than one way to force it down! _Determination bubbling, she picked a spike from the leather belt on her thigh, and, drawing a quick breath, she sliced the sharp end over her palm. A small hiss escaped her at the sting, and she flexed her hand, seeing the red blood trickling forth.

It was as if the act of slicing her hand pulled a trigger. Mikoto's eyes cleared a notch, and she pulled in a sharp breath. Feeling relief that there was finally a reaction, Kuroko slowly raised her hand and licked the wound. The metallic taste of blood tickled her tongue, and she steeled herself before leaning down once more. This time she slid her tongue all the way in, brushing past Mikoto's in a gesture of love. The blood was shared between them, and suddenly, Mikoto moved. She pushed Kuroko over, her back hitting the floor. Mikoto crouched above her on all fours, looking shocked for a second. Then her eyes found Kuroko's hand, palm up on the floor above her shoulder. She tensed, the red of her pupils becoming more defined than before. She was obviously fighting the urge.

Kuroko swallowed. "Go ahead."

Mikoto did not wait for another word. She leaned down and her tongue slid over Kuroko's palm, quickly at first, then slower, following the wound with a loving caress. Kuroko held her breath, a strange sensation flittering up her arm. It was different from usual. Perhaps it was due to the wound, but the moist tongue left a pleasant tickle in her palm with every stroke. Kuroko had to swallow a gasp and she gulped, hoping that Kiyama's miracle mixture worked, but more than that, happy that Mikoto was finally eating. She closed her eyes and released a deep breath while Mikoto enjoyed the treat. After a while the vampire shifted, one hand rising to caress Kuroko's chest. Her tongue trailed from Kuroko's palm over her wrist, and Kuroko tensed for a second, anticipating the bite to come. Mikoto paused, perhaps to take in the sensation of the pulse in her veins, and then gently clasped her jaw around her arm and bit down.

Kuroko hissed in pain, but it was soon dulled as the vampire's saliva entered the wound. Mikoto's fangs sank in to the base and her breathing was becoming more excited. Kuroko squirmed, and the vampire pressed a hand down on her chest, a growl of warning leaving her throat. Then she pulled her fangs out, and started licking the puncture wound with loving caresses. The pain was numbed, and the blood flow stimulated by the saliva. Her hand had stopped bleeding though, as if the saliva only worked as long as the wound was being fed on.

Kuroko gulped down air and raised her free hand, grabbing onto Mikoto's arm. She could feel the strength returning in the muscles beneath her fingers, although slow, delicate. She was not ripping her apart either, so maybe what Kiyama had brewed up actually worked.

Mikoto moved closer, lowering her body slightly to gain a better position. What sounded like a low purr slipped out of her throat and Kuroko groaned in relief. It was a sound of delight and she loved it so. Mikoto left the wound on her arm, trailing her tongue to the pit of her elbow and Kuroko tensed at the ticklish feeling.

"Not – not there." She gasped, touching her clothes and teleporting them off to give Mikoto full access to her neck and shoulder. Mikoto leaned up at the invitation and caressed the nape of her neck with her lips and tongue. Little by little Kuroko's excitement rose, despite the bite wounds or perhaps because of them. She moaned as Mikoto's hand clenched around a breast, massaging it softly. The vampire was hungry, no doubt about that, but she was gentle and not at all like the raging killing machine Kuroko had feared. She was just now experiencing what it meant to be Mikoto's prey. Why had she ever feared it?

Mikoto lovingly kissed her neck and her fangs scraped against the skin, making Kuroko squirm. Seemingly pleased by this reaction, Mikoto lowered herself even more, resting her body on top of Kuroko's and kneading her breast with one hand.

"I want you."

Kuroko's breath hitched as she heard her voice, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Please. Take me."

"Can I taste?" She nibbled her skin, and Kuroko had to bite back a laugh.

"Do you think it'll taste different here?"

"It will." Mikoto licked her neck again and Kuroko shuddered.

"Then go ahead."

Excitement surged in the body above her and Kuroko felt smothered under the aura that kept building. It wasn't much yet, but even a little blood had pulled Mikoto out of that lifeless state, and into her old self. So little had been needed for her to return to her senses. Was Kiyama's mixture that potent, or…

"Your blood is so good~" Mikoto drew in a deep breath through her nose, and Kuroko could feel the tension rise between them. She tried to relax, yet her heart was beating eagerly. Mikoto was licking her throat again, and then she poised her fangs, excitement growing. When she bit down, Kuroko had to pull in a moan of pleasure. It was indescribable, like something was sliding into her with the utter gentleness and caress of a lover. Her blood gushed out and Mikoto was starting to pant, licking it up and grabbing onto Kuroko's arms, holding her in place.

Kuroko breathed heavily as the tongue slid over her skin, and she groaned as Mikoto's scent filled her nostrils. Mikoto sucked at the wound, and the grip on Kuroko's arms tightened. _She's coming back._ Kuroko gazed dazedly at the ceiling and shuddered in delight as Mikoto's fangs scraped her skin, posing for another bite. She stretched her neck and the vampire took the invitation to sink her teeth into her skin anew, right next to the previous wound. As she started lapping up the blood once more, Kuroko began to feel light headed, all the pleasure in the world enveloping her in a haze. She could tell Mikoto was growing, strength seeping back into her limbs and power gathering in her body like coiling snakes. She was purring again, a sound that reverberated deep within Kuroko's core. The licks made her shudder, heat growing in her mind and her body felt light, wonderful…

Her eyes snapped open. Mikoto was still drinking her blood, aroused on the power it brought her. Kuroko was hot as well, tense and wet all over. Yet she knew this light headed feeling.

"Th-that's enough!" She tried to sound strict, but it failed thoroughly. Mikoto ignored her, slowly licking the precious life-giving substance from her veins. She was trapped, and Mikoto was growing stronger by the second. Kuroko grimaced as she attempted to pull her arms free, but Mikoto growled, tightening her hold until it smarted.

"M-Mikoto!" Kuroko strained against her, which only seemed to excite the vampire even more. She was lost in euphoria, still not full after so long without food. She moved her head and kissed Kuroko fiercely on the lips – hot and passionate now – leaving the taste of coppery blood behind. Kuroko gulped down air,_ I need to teleport! _– but her mind refused to cooperate and the licks on her throat was wholly distracting. _Shit! I've lost too much blood! _Mikoto was effectively draining her, desiring too much for a single human to provide. As Kuroko struggled beneath her, the vampire's lust rose, and soon her bangs started sparkling from pleasure.

_Too much – too much! _There was no way Kuroko alone would be able to sate the ravishing hunger the matriarch had been fighting. She gulped down air and while black dots started appearing in front of her eyes, she drew a breath.

"Erom—"

Mikoto growled, rubbing against her and clenching her teeth around her skin, as if warning her to stay silent. Kuroko had no choice however. Either risk facing Mikoto's anger at being interrupted, or die. She had been resigned to the possibility earlier, but when faced with reality, survival instincts kicked in. She was not ready to die just yet.

"Erom Modnar—"

Mikoto's hand slid downwards, touching Kuroko between her legs in a sensual stroke. Kuroko gasped and her arousal flared, satisfying the vampire as she licked her skin again. The weight of her presence was choking, even though this was not her full power, nor was it limitbreak.

Kuroko gritted her teeth and gasped as her hips bucked from the continued caress. Her heart beat in a frenzy, perhaps attempting to refill the veins that were being sucked dry all too quickly. White and black spots danced in front of her eyes and she knew she would soon lose consciousness. It would be too late by then.

With a final gasp of air she yelled the words with as much power as she could muster. Mikoto snarled and her fingers crushed Kuroko's arm in their grip, making her yelp in pain. Yet it was as if that sound alone snapped past the veil of lust in Mikoto's mind, and she froze.

"K-Kuroko…" She pulled back and stared down at her, lips red with blood. Kuroko gasped, tendrils of bliss still shooting through her body; so hot, so wet, and unable to finish. She wanted to go on, but knew it was Mikoto's presence as much as her own needs creating that urge. Her head was swaying however, and common sense was screaming at her. Perhaps it was due to her training as a vampire hunter, but she knew to listen to common sense when it spoke. _Anymore and you'll die!_

Mikoto's eyes were not red any longer; she had blood in her system now, her strength was returning, and she was no longer starving. She also looked horrified. "Kuroko!"

It might have worked, Kiyama's mixture. If not, Kuroko would probably have already been dead. Even though the strength was ebbing out of her, she managed a small smile at Mikoto.

"Don't you dare throw it up."

Then she closed her eyes and allowed the darkness of sleep to claim her.

XXX

…...

…

Mikoto's eyes opened, gazing out of the window into the dark sky above the rooftops. The city was always beautiful at night, but she wasn't really in the mood to admire it.

She was feeling like crap again. It sometimes happened when she was hungry, as if her body told her she wasn't eating enough. It wasn't just the normal hunger she experienced when her feeding day arrived, but a more primal need, gnawing at her limbs and brain. The only remedy was to fill up.

Her ears twitched, picking up the sound of a beating heart. Blood flowed through the veins, creating an unique rushing sound in such close proximity. A warm body was pressed into her back and a slender arm lay over her midriff, lightly stroking her stomach. Soft breath was touching the nape of her neck and full breasts rubbed against her shoulder blades.

Mikoto's heartbeat sped up. _What is she doing here? _They met once a week, that was the deal. Mikoto would come to her after feeding, and they would make love. Never more, never less.

The girl behind her leaned in and kissed her neck.

"Good evening, love. Are you finally awake?"

Mikoto's fingers dug into the mattress of her bed. "Why are you here?"

Mitsuko moved, leaning up on one arm and slowly making circles around Mikoto's navel. She leaned over her head and her long hair brushed by Mikoto's. "I missed you."

Mikoto's stomach clenched and she gripped the bed sheets tighter. "You know I'll come to you. How did you even find out where I live?"

Mitsuko smiled. "A little bird told me."

The Kongou household had contacts all over town. Mitsuko might have had one of them watch her and deduce the location. Mikoto pulled in a breath and closed her eyes. The burning sensation in her gut was demanding and it felt like something was pressing onto the back of her eyes.

"You were sleeping so heavy though, I figured I'd wait." Mitsuko's fingers trailed over her abdomen and towards her chest. "You are adorable when asleep, you know? You kept making these small little growls, like a mewing kitten."

It must have been because Mitsuko was so close, and Mikoto's body was behaving on instinct. It was just luck that she hadn't lashed out at her in her sleep. "You shouldn't be here, Mitsuko."

"Why not? I apologize for intruding without prior notice, but I simply could not wait. My father was being too intrusive and I required your company." She was leaning closer, nuzzling her cheek. Mikoto's head felt like it was filled with wool. She gripped the bed sheets so tight they were in danger of ripping, and clenched her teeth.

"You can't be here. It's not time yet - I need—"

"You need to eat, hm?" Mitsuko's fingers slid over her chin and touched her teeth. Mikoto couldn't help the excitement rousing and her lover giggled. "Your fangs are growing~" Mitsuko leaned closer, lightly biting into the edge of her mouth. "How about you drink _my _blood, hm?"

Mikoto's breath hitched, eyes widening. There was a light tremble in her body; she found the suggestion extremely attractive. She pulled away from Mitsuko's caress and sat up, facing the window. "That's not happening." She might have tried to convince herself as much as Mitsuko.

"I've always wondered what it'd be like." Mitsuko followed her, sliding her arms around Mikoto's neck and breasts pressing into her back once more. "Why do you not desire to drink my blood? Does it not fit your exquisite taste?" She adopted a teasing tone. "Why don't you turn me and let us elope together, living together forever?"

Mikoto forced her breath to even out, staring at the wall. Mitsuko's beating heart was right behind her, sending pleasant vibrations into her body. She refused to listen to the urge building inside her. "I told you, only a matriarch can turn people. And even if I could, I wouldn't do it."

"Why not?" Mitsuko captured her earlobe between her lips, playfully nibbling at it.

Mikoto swallowed heavily. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Hmm." Mitsuko released her ear and kissed her jaw. "Getting hurt by you, the idea is making me all excited. How can I boast about being the lover of a vampire if I can't even tell any fascinating stories about blood sucking or show off some bite marks?"

Mikoto growled and reached out, pushing Mitsuko away. "It's not something to show off." She stood up, picking up her shorts and pulling them on. Her movements were mechanical, her muscles stiff from the strain of holding back. "I'll come to you later, so go back. Your father would have a fit if he knew you were in this neighborhood." She reached for her shirt when her insides cramped up. The smell that wafted over to her was intense and fantastic, sending tremors down her arms and making her fingers tremble. Blood. Mitsuko's. The urge striking her was like the urge she'd known during her days as a fledgling, constantly hungry and hunting for food. For a second she couldn't breathe, hunger flaring inside her like a fire.

"What are you doing?" She could sense the girl behind her, moving closer. Mitsuko stroked her shoulder and then raised her hand towards Mikoto's lips, a drop of blood resting on the tip of her finger.

"I want you to taste me, know what you're missing out on." Mitsuko murmured, stroking her thumb across Mikoto's lips and then sliding it inside, parting them open. "Come on, eat up~"

The drop of blood touched her tongue and Mikoto drew a staggering breath. Before she knew it, Mitsuko was trapped beneath her on the bed, and the girl looked surprised and frightened, but also excited. Just like it should be. Mikoto bared her fangs and snarled, and Mitsuko attempted to pull away. Mikoto grabbed her wrist and held her down, leaning forward as she sniffed Mitsuko's neck. Her stomach growled; she was so hungry. Mitsuko's blood had been so tasty.

"M-Mikoto…" Mitsuko sounded anxious and the speed of her heart picked up, reverberating in Mikoto's ears. She stared at Mitsuko's neck and the urge kept building, reaching a peak she couldn't bear to fight. She trembled all over as she attempted to tell herself to pull back, and then the taste spread in her mouth again and she licked her lips. Her eyes felt like they were burning up.

"Are you alright?" Mitsuko stared up at her. "You look paler than usual. Have you not been eating properly?"

Mikoto leaned down, a dull heat thumping in the back of her head. She licked at Mitsuko's throat and the girl gasped beneath her.

"Mikoto, love, maybe we should wait - you don't seem like yourself."

Mikoto kissed her on the mouth, shutting her up. She moved her hands to grab onto Mitsuko's arms. As the atmosphere enveloped them Mitsuko's worries seemed to evaporate and Mikoto could no longer fight the desire dominating her every action.

She bit into Mitsuko's neck and the girl gasped, ecstasy soon enveloping them both. It brought a rush of pleasure, greater than any she had experienced before. Mikoto pulled her fangs out of her neck, lovingly licking the wound and purring just the way she knew Mitsuko loved it. The taste filled all her senses, goosebumps raising on her skin. The power seeping into her body was like a drug.

"I love you," she muttered, and continued to lap up the blood, fondling her lover and feeling the twitch and flex of muscles under her skin. Petting, loving and stroking Mitsuko until she climaxed, Mikoto was delighted when the taste changed, filled with an even tastier aroma. She held Mitsuko in place even as the girl squirmed below her, panting heavily. Their lovemaking had never been this intense and Mikoto had never felt so great while feeding. She lost herself in the act, loving and eating to her heart's content.

That night was the last time she made love with Mitsuko. In the early morning hours, the ecstasy of the meal was wearing off, and she realized the girl below her was no longer breathing. Her heart still, drained of the precious blood that gave her life. Mitsuko's expression was one of bliss, but it burned into Mikoto's irises as the most terrifying moment in her life.

Mikoto stumbled out of her apartment and into the street, wearing nothing but shorts and an unbuttoned shirt. It was still dark outside, stars glittering in the sky above. Stumbling through the streets, breathing in gulps of air, the image of Mitsuko's smiling face penetrated her vision. She felt cold, despite the warm blood running through her veins. She clasped her hands around herself and leaned onto the nearest wall, struggling to not hyperventilate. She started coughing, and then retched, again and again, but there was nothing to throw up. It had already been taken up into her system, Mitsuko's blood flowing in her veins. Tears trailing down her cheeks, Mikoto gasped for air, then gritted her teeth and clenched her eyes shut. She would not accept it. She never killed; she was always careful to leave enough blood for her prey to survive. So why… why did it feel so good? Mitsuko's pale face, so peaceful. Dead. Yet the power from her blood was intoxicating.

Mikoto grabbed her head and screamed.

She kept stumbling through the city, vision unfocused from the blur of tears, and the smell of blood made her stop in her tracks. Gazing into the alleyway beside her, she heard the telltale sounds of someone feeding. Her lips twisted into a snarl. This was her territory, and someone was eating - maybe even killing humans on her plot. She stalked into the alleyway and her muscles tensed as she closed in. Mitsuko's face…. Kuroko's face…. it all blurred; sounds, colors, scents. The nails on her fingers hardened and grew into claws, her fangs growing sharper and longer as her sight blackened.

The vampire never knew what hit him. Pumped on the blood of her lover, Mikoto was many times stronger than the fledgling vampire who did not even understand the rules of territories. She ripped him apart and indulged on his blood, ignoring the victim he'd left behind.

…

...

Mikoto opened her eyes in slits, grimacing against the rays of sun spearing into her irises.

_Uuh… that dream again…_ she put a hand to her face, staring blankly ahead between her fingers. The tree she'd used as a backrest for the night rubbed against her back uncomfortably and she leaned forward, resting her arms on her knee.

_Kuroko survived. _She reminded herself of the facts, although the events that led up to the vampire hunter's current condition still plagued her. Kuroko was alive, although unconscious, and the cleric called Kiyama was doing what she could to steady her condition. Mikoto had quite nearly sucked her dry, and had broken her arm in the process.

The similarity to what had happened so many years ago was enough to make her feel nauseous, even now. Kuroko's blood had been just as good, if not even better, than Mitsuko's. Even if she didn't lose her mind like back then, she had been so hungry she hadn't been thinking straight. Considering that, she was surprised she'd even managed to pull back at all.

Her hands clenched tightly. No. She'd sworn never to do that again. No matter how tasty, how captivating the power it brought was, she would never again kill someone like that. Releasing a deep breath, she glanced up at the sky, blue and inviting as the brilliant rays of sun touched upon the forest below.

_I need to eat again soon. _It was troubling, but she had gone so long without food that her reserves had all been blown. She wasn't even halfway full, and though she would be able to function for a while on Kuroko's blood, she would need to fill up with more to avoid falling into the same trap again. One serious fight would be enough to drain it all out of her. Now, however, she had her common sense intact, and she would be able to feed normally as long as she didn't touch Kuroko. The question was… _feed on who? _The village had seemed entirely reluctant to let them in, and she wouldn't want to betray their hospitality by feeding on their inhabitants as long as Kuroko was down for the count. Until they could move on, it was better to avoid behaving like the predator they feared she was.

That left a sad amount of potential sources, and she didn't want to impose on any of the girls. She frowned as she started to realize why other matriarchs had underlings that would hunt for them. Mikoto would not turn anyone, however. The process involved draining the human completely empty and then feeding them blood back. More often than not, they could not handle it and died somewhere along the way. If they did survive the turning, Mikoto figured they'd need a lot of attention in order to learn to live with it. It was the matriarch's responsibility to make sure all vampires in her pack knew how to behave. Well, supposedly. She wasn't exactly the prime example of that habit herself. No matriarch had taken responsibility for her and the results were better forgotten.

Not all matriarchs cared much about who they turned, and some did it just for the thrill. Apparently, having your blood sucked was incredibly stimulating.

Mikoto stared at the sky. How many years had it been since she was turned? At least fifty; she'd lost count long ago.

She narrowed her eyes. No use lingering on the past. What she needed to do was think about the present, and her stomach was rumbling. She was still hungry, and she'd better eat before that senseless bestial wrath got the better of her again. _There's got to be something else nearby. A town, a trade caravan, anything._

XXX

Saten-san was practicing her swings outside in the garden, using Kiyama-sensei's pink flowers as targets. They were the same height as a human and carried spikes, so hitting them head on would hurt. She used her bat, flinging the flower heads away every time she struck at them. It was like air itself exploded outwards and knocked them off, yet there was no sound.

"I'm not sure Kiyama-sensei will like it if you destroy all her flowers," Kazari dryly observed her from the porch where she sat with her head in her hands. She always liked watching Saten-san train, fascinated by the different effects she could add to her weapon. Besides which, watching that lean body move and the way her ponytail swung was enjoyable as well.

"I'm sure she won't mind!" Saten-san whacked another monster flower and it snapped in two from the kinetic force striking it milliseconds before the bat itself. "They're ugly as heck!"

"If you say so." Kazari fingered the flowers on her headband, wondering if they would go next.

"Shouldn't you be inside anyway? Helping out with Shirai-san?" Saten-san stopped for a moment, wiping her brow. Her muscles were tense and beads of sweat ran down her body. She was just wearing shorts and a tank top, and Kazari stared at her exposed arms for a moment, watching the slim muscles shift beneath her skin. Once she realized she was staring, she blushed and looked away.

"I-I was! There's not much more to do than wait for her to recover."

"Hmmm. I'd never thought Misaka-san would hurt Shirai-san like that." Saten-san stretched her arms above her head and Kazari's eyes were drawn to the defined stomach she revealed as the tank top pulled up slightly.

"M-Misaka-san probably didn't think so either." She glanced at the remaining flowers; the entire front yard was full of them, and they seemed to glare angrily at Saten-san, who had killed their brethren.

"Speaking of, I haven't seen her since yesterday." Saten-san turned towards her, resting her bat on her shoulder, and Kazari coughed, hoping to hide her pink cheeks behind her hand.

"I'm sure she's out roaming the area."

Saten-san grinned. "Looking for more prey."

"You really think so?" She was probably right, though.

"There's no way tiny Shirai-san is enough to fill her up. I bet she'll have to drain four or five humans before she's back to her old self."

Kazari shuddered at the thought, remembering the slaughter at Gilmore's fortress. "You know she hates killing humans."

Saten-san laughed, and her chest danced with the motion. "Having her way with them then. You know, it's weird how she hasn't asked to feed on you yet, with how cute you are." She grinned at Kazari, who blushed at once.

"W-What!?"

"I'd totally suck your blood."

"S-S-Saten-san, what are you saying, you—!"

Saten-san grinned still, and then her gaze lowered, and she looked more solemn. Kazari's flustering lessened as well, suddenly worried by the melancholic look on her face.

"I was pretty useless, huh. Not only did we get caught and thrown in a cage, but even when feeding on me, that wasn't nowhere near enough to stop all this from happening."

Kazari bristled. "That wasn't your fault!"

She clenched her fingers around the bat. "I'm a battle mage and all, but when she came at us in that cell the only thing I could do was offer myself up in your place." She raised her bat triumphantly. "I need to get stronger!"

Kazari stared at her body. "I think you're plenty strong already…"

"What?"

"Nothing!"

"You too, Uiharu! You need to get even stronger, so that you can blast those nasty vampires away!"

"I'm a cleric! I heal, I don't fight!"

"Then heal them to death!"

Kazari sighed, but she couldn't help but smile. Saten-san always brought a smile to her face. She was so energetic and full of life.

"Alright, I'm gonna clean this garden!" Saten-san turned back to the flowers, and they growled at her and prepared to fight back.

XXX

Night fell again and Kazari sat on the porch with a blanket around her shoulders, watching the village below. The dark rooftops were foreboding, almost like they were telling them to keep their distance. Apart from Touma-san (who had come by earlier to check on them), none of the villagers seemed to be glad for their visit, and she wondered if the village had been plagued by vampires in the past. She couldn't blame them; a lot of vampires did kill and cause havoc without a care, after all. She had never heard of a matriarch without a single pack member until she met Misaka-san.

She glanced at the garden, where all the flowers were now beheaded. Saten-san had given them quite a fight, and the girl had sported a bunch of bite marks afterwards, which Kazari treated. Just like Kiyama-sensei to have a garden full of vampire flowers. The flowers had smaller teeth than actual vampires however, and the amount of blood they sucked was nothing in comparison. It gave them their pink color.

She looked back at the village in front of her and watched as a single torch moved quickly through the streets.

"Uiharu." Kiyama-sensei's voice called from inside the house, and Kazari quickly got to her feet.

"Yes!"

"Will you come here for a second."

Kazari did not let herself be asked twice. Not only did she hold great respect for the woman, but she seemed a bit scary. She walked through the house into the room where Shirai-san was lying in a bed, still sleeping after having been all but drained of blood by Misaka-san. They had taken off her white jacket, shirt and pants, and replaced them with a tank top and shorts from Saten-san's backpack. Kazari had cleaned her wounds earlier, and like with Saten-san they seemed to heal nicely. It seemed like Misaka-san was hygienic enough that her bites did not cause infections.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Kazari asked the older woman, looking down at Shirai-san's pale face, and then noticing how the girl's skin was all sweaty. "Is she awake?"

"No." Kiyama-sensei shook her head, thumb on her chin as she looked down at Shirai-san with a thoughtful expression. "I would have expected her to die with so little blood left. Misaka-san sure helped herself."

Kazari swallowed heavily, watching as Shirai-san grimaced in her sleep. "Then… what's wrong with her?"

"Hmmm." Kiyama-sensei glanced over Shirai-san's form, and Kazari did the same. From the bandaged arm that Misaka-san had broken, to the lithe body the vampire hunter possessed, she could see nothing out of the ordinary.

"Nightmares?"

"I suppose so." Kiyama-sensei made no change in her expression whatsoever. "I suppose a kiss from her beloved would have the power to wake her up…"

Kazari wasn't sure if she were joking or not. "Well, Misaka-san isn't here so…"

She glanced over Shirai-san's arm again, looking at the covered bite marks that the vampire matriarch had left on her. Suddenly, she noticed something else.

"Kiyama-sensei." She walked over and touched Shirai-san's arm. Dark tendrils were spreading over her skin, just barely visible from beneath the bandage covering her broken elbow.

"Blood poisoning?" Kiyama-sensei sounded just as bored as always, but Kazari panicked.

"We need to take it off!" She reached for the scissors, and soon they had removed the bandage. A red lump was visible where the broken bone rested, but the dark tendrils seemed to originate from her elbow joint. As Kazari looked closer, she noticed the faint contours of a scar. "Another bite?"

"Hmmm." Kiyama-sensei leaned in close, lighting up the area with her flashlight. In the light of the tiny device, the tendrils looked even more ominous. "It does look like a bite, but this is not from a vampire. Look, there are teeth marks all over." She slid her finger across the faint outline and Kazari saw what she meant.

"What in the world…"

Kiyama-sensei stared at the marks for a while longer. "Werewolf."

"What!?" Kazari pulled back in shock.

Kiyama-sensei rubbed her chin. "This one has been hibernating for a long time. I wonder if she were bitten in her childhood."

Kazari stared at Shirai-san's face. "Shirai-san is… a werewolf?"

Kiyama-sensei straightened. "I would say she is just about to become one. Ah…" Her eyes glanced over to the window and Kazari turned just in time to see a dark silhouette disappear from the window.

"Someone from the village—?"

Kiyama-sensei looked unbothered. "This might become troublesome."

"Wait!" Kazari 's head snapped back to the older woman. "What do you mean, she's about to become one? What can we do?"

Kiyama-sensei looked back at her. "As far as werewolves are concerned, their bites sometimes leads to the birth of a new werewolf, and other times not. In this case, it seems like it needed a trigger."

Kazari gulped. "Misaka-san biting her was…"

"More likely, the fact that Misaka-san drained her to the brink of death woke the latent werewolf in her. She is alive right now thanks to that."

Kazari's eyes widened. "Then—!"

"I say stopping it would be foolish, let alone impossible without chopping the arm off."

Kazari stared at Shirai-san's face, the way her jaw tensed and her teeth ground against each other. Whether she was having a bad dream, or was in pain because of whatever was happening to her body, was anyone's guess. Werewolves were extremely rare. Due to them being the vampire's natural predator, they had been hunted quite extensively for several hundred years. As far she knew, common knowledge would have them all extinct.

Shirai-san's fingers dug into the bed sheets and her eyes shot open, wide with panic. "Mikoto!"

"Shirai-san!" Kazari leaned forward and grabbed her shoulders, lest the girl would try to sit up with all those injuries. Shirai-san's body was tense. "Calm down!"

The vampire hunter's eyes cleared a notch and she looked up at Kazari. "U-Uiharu?"

Kazari was relieved that she recognized her. "I'm here. It's going to be alright, okay?" She squeezed the unbandaged shoulder and hoped she wasn't lying.

Shirai-san was sweating and gasping for air, yet her eyes shifted from Kazari to Kiyama-sensei. "Where is Mikoto?"

Kazari hesitated. "Well… we haven't seen her since you two…"

Shirai-san grimaced. "She's feeling guilty. I need to talk to her. This wasn't her fault!" She tried to move her arm and hissed, clenching her eyes shut.

"Shirai-san!" Kazari pulled back, looking over her arm worriedly.

Shirai-san open an eye and looked down at her arm, and then both eyes widened in shock. "What the – what is this!?"

"Calm down!" Kazari begged her, lest the girl started panicking. "It will be fine! We have Kiyama-sensei here, and I'm sure Misaka-san will return any moment!" She wondered how the vampire would react though, upon finding out her lover was turning into a werewolf. Suddenly, she hoped she'd never find out.

"What is that!? My arm is burning!" Shirai-san looked scared, and Kazari didn't blame her. "Did Mikoto—?"

"This is not Misaka-san's doing!" Kazari protested, and then hesitated. "I mean… it is, partly, but not entirely, and it's thanks to this that you're still alive, so…" she faltered. Shirai-san looked even more scared now, so Kazari shook her head. "You're going to be fine! I'm sure of it! Right, Kiyama-sensei?" She looked at the older woman hopefully, whom seemed as bored as ever.

"There might be certain concerns about this turn of events."

"Yeah, so – wait, what do you mean!?" Kazari's heart clenched.

Kiyama stared at Shirai-san's panting and tensing form. "Becoming a werewolf is not something that is normally associated with being easy."

Shirai-san was grimacing again, her entire body straining on the bed, and Kazari was worried her broken arm would take even more damage from the thrashing about.

"Hey guys…" Saten-san suddenly stood in the doorway, looking troubled. "I get that there is something going on with Shirai-san and all, but… we've got visitors." Her face was strangely pale. "A lot of them."

XXX

It looked like the entire village had gathered. Pitchforks, axes, torches, scythes, they seemed to have raided their sheds and barns in order to stock up on weapons. They gathered outside the remains of Kiyama-sensei's garden and although they looked insecure, the rage in their expressions were enough to tell the occupants of the house that they were not here for a friendly cup of tea.

Shirai-san had insisted on coming, so Kazari was supporting her on her healthy arm, one arm around the girl's waist to keep her from collapsing. She was breathing heavily and sweating, and Kazari would have preferred for her to stay in bed. But even if she'd had to crawl, Shirai-san would have gone.

In front of them, on the porch, stood Saten-san and Kiyama-sensei. Saten-san had a serious frown on her face and Kiyama-sensei had her hands stuffed in her coat.

"Kiyama!" One of the villagers stepped forward, brandishing a pitchfork and gesturing at the girls around her. "I know you're a crazy wench and Gilmore-sama's favorite pet, but this is enough!"

His eyes were wide with panic and rage, and Kazari wondered if they still didn't know of Gilmore's death.

"I heard you're not only housing that vampire, but even a werewolf!" He spat angrily, thrusting his pitchfork in their direction. "It's about time you rid yourself of those guests of yours so that our kids can sleep peacefully at night!"

Kiyama-sensei looked unimpressed. "If your kids cannot sleep, maybe it is because you are telling them such scary stories."

"Stop toying with us!" There was angry agreement from the group and several of them spread out to the sides, creating a wider half-circle. It looked like they were trying to urge each other on, and Kazari did not like the look of those giant torches some of them were carrying.

"Are they going to set fire to the house?" She whispered intently.

"Fools." Shirai-san breathed beside her, looking exhausted. The black tendrils had spread to her hand and were crawling over shoulder as Kazari watched. The tension in Shirai-san's body seemed to come and go in spasms, and her muscles tightened whenever she bit down on a grunt of pain. Kazari was worried she would collapse before anything else.

"Are you really here to chase off a wounded girl?" Saten-san cracked her knuckles. "Just a bunch of losers would sink so far as to gang up on a group of girls."

"Shut up! You're monsters in disguise; of course we're not going to take any chances!" The man at the front looked red-faced. One of his colleagues whispered something to him and his eyes widened. Then he looked on all of them, grinding his teeth. "Where is the vampire?"

Saten-san snickered. "You'd be glad she isn't here. Misaka-san wouldn't take your bullshit for even a second."

He looked like he might explode out of rage. He stomped the end of the pitchfork into the ground, spikes pointing ominously into the air. "Which one is the werewolf!?"

Kazari swallowed and glanced at Shirai-san again. The tendrils were crawling up her neck now, and her eyes looked dull, breath heavy as she nearly hung onto Kazari. "Shirai-san, let's go back inside."

Shirai-san's body tensed up at the idea. "No." Her eyes held a sharp look behind the dullness, and she glared at the villagers. "They're after Mikoto. I won't let them get away with it."

"It's the wounded girl!" Someone yelled, and Kazari tensed.

"She's the werewolf!"

"Take her down while she's weak!"

They were rousing each other up; Saten-san ground her fist into her hand. "Looks like it'll be pounding time."

Kazari didn't blame her, but if they started a fight, the situation would hardly get any better.

The villagers were starting to yell louder, almost chanting in choir like some obsessed mob of religious fanatics. "Kill the werewolf! Kill the werewolf!" And they raised their weapons into the air. Kazari stared at them with increasing nervousness, but then Kiyama-sensei suddenly spoke.

"Ah." She was looking up, and Kazari followed her gaze. Her eyes widened. The sky, which had previously been littered with stars, was now covered with thick, rolling clouds. They rumbled ominously, and as Kazari watched, a flash of lightning struck across them, momentarily lighting up the earth below. Her chest twisted into a knot.

"That's…"

"Looks like she's all powered up now." Kiyama-sensei still had her hands in her pocket. "Making such a show."

"Woah, is that Misaka-san!?" Saten-san sounded thrilled.

The villagers were shuffling, looking up at the sudden shift in weather.

"W-What is this trickery, Kiyama!?" The village chief – he must be, the way he commanded the others – snarled at Kiyama-sensei, but his eyes betrayed fear.

Kiyama-sensei didn't answer, and neither did she get the chance. A flash of lightning struck the ground in the middle of the group of villagers, scattering them in every direction from the shockwave of the impact. The village chief was knocked over into the garden flowerbed, where luckily, all the vampiric flowers were already dead.

From the sizzling crater in the ground a cloud of steam and dust rose, but even so, Kazari could easily see the familiar form of Misaka-san getting to her feet.

However while it was Misaka-san, it was also completely different. It was as if the entire area became smothered with the heaviness of the air, and Misaka-san's form stood proud, powerful and intimidating at the very center. Small charges leapt from her bangs and she didn't even offer the villagers a single look.

"Misaka-san!" Saten-san called out, and the villagers looked unsure, some inching back, others pointing their weapons in Misaka-san's direction while glancing at the others to see whether they did the same.

The village chief looked up, and his features were wracked with terror. "I-it's the vampire!"

Murmurs spread across the grounds.

"Seriously? She just came down with a lightning strike…"

"What kind of vampire is that?"

Misaka-san stepped forward and the sky above crackled again, making them all step back. Even though she was in her human form, everything about her radiated power, from the neutral look on her face to her firm shoulders and confident step.

"Aaah, seeing a matriarch at her finest is indeed a rare opportunity." Kiyama-sensei sounded like she was watching paint dry.

"A-A matriarch? Isn't that the strongest of them all?" One of the villagers seemed to know his facts, and the others looked increasingly frightened.

The village chief finally pulled himself together however. "Kill her!"

They hesitated, looking at each other, and his red face looked like it was about to explode. He grabbed his pitchfork and got to his feet unsteadily. "Kill her! Kill the vampire!"

With a senseless cry he ran forward, raising his pitchfork. Misaka-san stopped, and he struck at her back with all the force he could muster. Kazari's breath hitched, but then the pitchfork jarred into a stop. The man's eyes widened as the wooden handle splintered from the excess force of his thrust, and Misaka-san glanced back at him.

"Get lost."

The sky above split open with another lightning strike, and made the vampire's eyes light up in an eerie hue. The rumble that followed shook Kazari to the core, and the men that had followed the village chief was backing off, more and more terror gathering in their expressions. The power rolling off of Misaka-san's form was choking, brushing over their skin, coiling around the house and making the walls creak behind them. It was plain intimidation, and it was working. Kazari's knees were weak, and the chief looked terrified, staring into Misaka-san's inhuman eyes and trembling all over. As she turned fully towards him, he suddenly jolted, and back off several clumsy steps, dropping his splintered pitchfork to the ground.

"You monster!"

She raised a hand, electric charges curling around her fingers. "I could say the same." There was a crack as the lightning surged from her hand into the air, casting an eerie blue light over her features. "Can you guess what I normally do with monsters?"

His face drained of color, and every last semblance of dignity vanished. With what sounded like a mix of a yelp and a wince he turned tail and ran for what he was worth. His underlings followed, some throwing terrified looks back at them, but most never even looking back and simply sprinting for their lives.

Kazari could hardly breathe. Relief washed over her, but it wasn't until the bone-chilling aura dispersed and the clouds above them started to loosen up, that she could finally relax. That's when she realized that for the girl she was holding, it was the exact opposite. Shirai-san's breath was coming in growls, deep and guttural, and she was glaring at Misaka-san with the most animosity Kazari had ever seen on a human face. Her entire body was tense and lethal.

"S-Shirai-san?"

Misaka-san turned towards them, and her eyes quickly found Shirai-san's beaten form.

Her eyes narrowed. "What's going on?"

Kazari stuttered, yet Saten-san turned her head to look at Shirai-san. "Seems like Shirai-san has woken to some serious pinch."

Kiyama-sensei glanced at the vampire hunter. "Shirai-san is harboring the curse of the werewolf. I suppose it is just now starting to get the better of her."

Misaka-san's brows furrowed. "A werewolf?"

"Indeed. I was rather surprised as well. It seems like nearly dying was the trigger to bring it forth."

Misaka-san lowered her head slightly, and Kazari felt bad for her. Yet she was also starting to feel sweaty, as Shirai-san was growing more and more agitated beside her.

"M-Mikoto…" The vampire hunter uttered her name in a plea, and Misaka-san gritted her teeth.

"Kiyama-sensei."

"Yes, Railgun?"

Her hands clenched into fists. "Can you heal a werewolf?"

Kazari's eyes widened, and Kiyama-sensei looked thoughtful. "I suppose it's not that different from a dog."

"Good." Misaka-san features changed, and the atmosphere grew static. Kazari froze up at the sight of her fangs and the black seeping into her eyes. "Then please prepare to do so." The vampire strode forward, and Kazari automatically backed off a step when she came nearer. Misaka-san was wholly focused on Shirai-san however, and raised her arm to her mouth. Kazari was shocked when she bit into her own skin, and red blood trickled out. Misaka-san licked it up and then reached forward, grabbing Shirai-san by the collar. "This might hurt, Kuroko."

She leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

Shirai-san's eyes widened, and Kazari backed off as her entire body screamed out for retreat. A shudder ran through the vampire hunter, and then her arms flexed, her neck grew thicker and the tightening muscles ripped through the clothes she was wearing. With a guttural snarl her eyes became dilated and the pupils shrank, her face started changing form and her skin changed color.

Misaka-san turned around and to Kazari's horror, she pulled Shirai-san into the air and then hurled her across the garden. By the time Shirai-san landed on the ground however, her body was no longer human at all; red fur, powerful muscular body, thick neck, pointed ears and a snarl framed by pointed teeth – it was a wolf, and one that looked everything but cozy. It shook off the remains of the clothes Shirai-san had been wearing and snarled towards them.

Misaka-san charged forward and nearly blew them over in the process. She was upon Shirai-san within a second and Kazari yelped when the vampire struck the beast's jaw from below. The punch sent the wolf flying, but it twisted in mid-air and landed on its feet, even angrier now. The fur on its neck stood on end and its eyes glowed white. Power was spiking from its form and Kazari shuddered.

Saten-san looked shocked. "Is that Shirai-san? Why the heck are they fighting!?"

Kiyama-sensei watched the scene with no shred of emotion. "The werewolf is the vampire's natural enemy. However…" Misaka-san leapt into the air above the wolf, but the beast vanished and reappeared a moment later right behind her, jaws open and dripping with saliva, charging up a beam of light within its maw.

"That's Shirai-san's holy light!"

Misaka-san turned in mid-air and struck the wolf on the side of its head, sending it crashing to the ground, then landing on her feet a second later.

Kiyama-sensei looked almost bored. "A fledgling werewolf, injured and weak, versus a vampire matriarch…"

The wolf got to its feet again and snarled, but it had barely found Misaka-san before the vampire was behind it, catching the beast in a chokehold. The animal thrashed and strained against the hold, clasping its jaws as it tried to get a bite out of the matriarch, but Misaka-san was obviously the stronger one and held it in place.

"It is not a battle as much as it is a one-sided beating." Kiyama-sensei dryly noted.

"Why is Misaka-san beating her up?" Saten-san asked in a confused tone.

Kiyama-sensei's hands were deep in her pockets. "Werewolves may be the vampire's natural enemy, but Shirai-san is but a fledgling. A regular vampire would have trouble against her, but for a matriarch, facing a fledgling like this is more like taming an unruly dog."

"But that's Shirai-san, isn't it?" Kazari did not understand. Why were the two of them fighting so lividly? She watched as the wolf lashed out with its powerful paw, claws catching onto Misaka-san's arm and slashing the skin open. The vampire hissed and then pushed the beast to the ground, holding it in a chokehold as sparks collected on the end of her fringe. The wolf kicked wildly and the dust scattered everywhere, but Misaka-san was easily pinning it down. Then she unleashed a flash of lightning that struck the animal head on and the wolf shrieked in pain. Kazari grimaced, feeling her chest quiver.

"It might be Shirai-san, but right now she's crazed on the blood Misaka-san gave her. The best time to tame a werewolf is before it has made its first kill. At this rate, Misaka-san will take position as pack leader in Shirai-san's eyes, and their friendship will be able to continue, I suppose."

"Woah." Saten-san blinked. "What the hell is going on. Shirai-san turned into a wolf and Misaka-san is beating her up. Did someone spike the water?"

Kiyama-sensei glanced at the pair again. "Although I suppose with a werewolf, it's better to be safe than sorry." And with that, she turned and walked into the house like there was nothing more to see.

Kazari stared after her, but hurriedly looked back when the wolf – Shirai-san – gave another yelp of pain. Misaka-san was still pinning her to the ground and had just sunk her teeth into the powerful neck. "What the heck is she doing?"

Saten-san looked just as mystified. "Maybe she wants to taste?"

But Kazari understood once the beaten form of Shirai-san started to calm down and lay panting on the ground. "She's draining her strength." She hoped Shirai-san could handle it, but having a crazed werewolf around was no good either. She watched as the wolf stilled, and then, as if she was sucking the beast right out of her, her features started changing back and soon Shirai-san was back in her human form, lying on the ground beneath Misaka-san. The vampire pulled back, and then leaned down and kissed the girl gently on her lips.

Kazari breathed out in relief.

"Seems like it all turned out fine…" Saten-san scratched her cheek.

"No… wait a second." Kazari paled, seeing how electric charges were starting to dance from Misaka-san's form. The vampire sat up and she was panting for air, her body straining, and her eyes shocking white.

"What the hell is wrong with her now!?" Saten-san was leaning onto the railing on the porch like she'd fall over without it.

Kazari watched as Misaka-san gritted her teeth, the lightning growing in strength and dirt rising up around her and Shirai-san in a lazy swirl. She knew. "Power boost."

"What?" Saten-san did not move her eyes.

"The werewolf's black blood is incredibly concentrated and gives more power to the vampire than human blood." Kazari was feeling sweaty. "I once read in an old history book that vampires kept werewolves as pets after purging most of the adult population. Breeding became difficult and the werewolf slowly died out. Many of them were sucked dry as well." She stared at Misaka-san's trembling from. "With such a surge in power it must be difficult to control it."

Saten-san looked pale, though her lips pulled up into a grin. "This is amazing."

There was a few tense seconds while the atmosphere seemed to twist around them and Misaka-san stretched her back, looking exalted as the power rushed through her. Kazari was afraid she'd let it all out and blow the entire house away, not to mention them and Shirai-san, but then the feeling in the air pulled back like a retracting implosion and Misaka-san fell backwards, landing on the ground with a thud, where she lay heaving for air.

Saten-san was gripping the railing so hard her knuckles had paled. "Holy shit. Is it over?"

Kazari released a deep breath she hadn't even realized she was holding. "I think so." She laughed, relieved. "Never lose faith in Misaka-san, I guess."

Saten-san stared at the two of them. "A werewolf and a vampire matriarch… how the heck are they supposed to have sex now?"

* * *

><p><strong>Note:<strong>

Did you expect Kuroko to be the werewolf? XD And what secrets do the other girls hold?

This is so much fun to write, and I hope it's fun to read as well! At this moment there are already 15 parts drafted of this story, so look forward to tons more of adventure!

Huge thanks to GreatSnapper for the comprehensive beta-reading and extra input!


	3. This is all Pretty Random

**Part 3 - This is all pretty random**

**XXX**

Kuroko was walking along the dark hallways of the mansion. The rain was crashing to the ground outside, dark sky lit up by flashes of lightning every now and then. The rumble of thunder made the hairs on her neck stand on end.

"Mommy…" She sniveled, rubbing her eye with a curled fist. The mansion was eerily silent and dark but for the flashes of lightning. The little girl stumbled across the entrance hall in her night dress, crying and jumping every time the thunder rumbled above.

"Mommy…" She hiccupped and tears ran down her cheeks. Small fingers clenched onto the curtain in front of the large roof-to-floor window. Another flash of light lit up the outside and for a second, a dark shadow sneered down at her. She glanced outside, trembling now, and too afraid to move anywhere. "Mommy - mommy!"

The window shattered and a gust of cold wind and rain washed in, forcing her eyes closed. Something else came as well, large and smelly, like a wet animal. Kuroko was knocked to the floor and she yelped in pain, and then a set of jaws clamped around her elbow.

"Mommy! Mommy!" She screamed for help, but there was no one to hear her in the giant house. The beast tore at her skin and she cried, eyes opening to look up into blood-red eyes, electricity dancing from brown bangs.

Kuroko gasped and sat up in bed, waking so fast she might as well have been shocked back to life.

"Shirai-san!" Uiharu was by her side in an instant, and Kuroko gulped down air, looking up at the face of her friend.

"U-Uiharu…" She put a hand to her face, all sweaty. _What the hell was that? A nightmare? _Her hand fell downwards and she suddenly touched something hard around her neck. "Eh?" Clasping her hands around it, her face paled. "What is this? A collar!?"

Uiharu smiled awkwardly. "Kiyama-sensei said that wearing a silver collar might help suppress the killer instinct when you transform. Misaka-san gave her permission to put it on."

"Wait a moment - killer - transform? _Permission_?" Kuroko was confused, and the panic rose in her throat. "Wha-what happened?"

Uiharu blinked. "You don't remember?"

Kuroko stared ahead, pictures seeping into her mind. Flashes of lightning, Mikoto's arrival and then - cold and bone-chilling fire. She shuddered, and the dream returned to memory. "Mikoto…" No, that hadn't been real. Wait, had Mikoto really bitten her? She was feeling dizzy and disoriented. How many days had passed, what happened when? She had been bitten… she looked down at her arm and immediately paled.

"Wh-what the hell!?" Black tendrils were spreading from a point on her elbow and along the skin of her arm. It looked like something tattooed onto her arm, yet she could tell that wasn't it. It looked more like… "Black blood?"

"The curse of the werewolf." Suddenly Kiyama-sensei's voice spoke up, and Kuroko realized she was standing over by the wall. "On the plus side, it recovered all of your wounds when you changed."

Kuroko was starting to breathe more quickly. She glanced around the room, taking in the details of the wood - the smell of the house, crisp and clear - the sounds of rustling clothes, low voices from another room. Her ears flicked - wait, _flicked_?

She reached a hand up to her ears and found nothing except the beginning of something fluffy and hairy that seemed to grow right out of her head. It was unreal, but somehow, she could feel her fingers touching them. It was her ears. They had moved, pointing right up from her head, and they were furry. That was the last straw and Kuroko panicked, which in turn made all her senses even clearer. As she started to hyperventilate she covered her ears with her hands, taking notice as more people entered the room. She turned away, feeling ashamed.

"Don't look at me!"

Someone touched her shoulder and the warmth spreading from the hand made her still in surprise.

"Why wouldn't I look at you? You're so incredibly cute!"

Kuroko's eyes widened and she glanced over her shoulder into the beaming face of Mikoto. "M-M-Mikoto?" She had never seen such an expression on her lover's face before.

"You're finally awake! I wanted to pet them while I could see your expression!" Mikoto was beaming like a child and Kuroko nearly melted on the spot. Her cheeks flushed.

"I-It's not cute!"

"Are you crazy? It's adorable! I wanna eat you up!" Mikoto was already in the bed, pulling Kuroko into a tight hug.

"Aaagh – Mikoto, you're strangling me!"

"So cute~"

"It's not cute!"

XXX

While the vampire matriarch started nibbling on Shirai-san's ear and the paladin-turned-werewolf tried to fight her off with less and less intensity, Kazari looked over at Kiyama-sensei. "Thank you very much, Kiyama-sensei!" She bowed in respect.

The older cleric looked as enthusiastic as always. "Don't thank me, I didn't do anything."

"You provided us with shelter when we needed it the most! Without you, Misaka-san might be dead and Shirai-san wouldn't have become a cute wolf!"

"Well…"

Kazari wished she had something to give her as thanks to prove her appreciation, and then her eyes widened. "Ah!" She straightened up and smiled. "As thanks, I'll revive your flower garden!"

"…" Kiyama-sensei looked like she might have wanted to comment, but Kazari didn't wait for her approval and left the room with a bright smile on her face. Everything was pulling together now; Misaka-san was back to her old self, Shirai-san was alive and well, and all they had to do now was go back to their homes in Toaru village and everything would be just fine. Kazari had had just about enough adventure for a while.

Outside on the porch stood Saten-san, and Kazari beamed when she saw her. The battle mage was in the process of strapping on her fighting gloves.

"Are you going to train again, Saten-san?"

"Oh hey there, Uiharu! How's Shirai-san?" Saten-san smiled, and Kazari's heart made a skip. She wished that Saten-san would come with them back to Toaru village and stay there, just like Shirai-san had done for Misaka-san.

"She's fine, although the black blood still remains in her system." She went over to the railing and leaned her back against it.

"Can't Misaka-san just drain that out of her?" Saten-san asked, fixing up her gloves.

"I doubt it's that easy." Kazari smiled, admiring Saten-san's ponytail and for a moment wondering if she could have pulled it off half as good. "It's the curse of the werewolf. Shirai-san's body will continue to produce the black blood even if Misaka-san drank it all." Her smile grew strained. "Besides, with what happened yesterday, do you think it's a great idea if she does?"

Saten-san looked thoughtful for a moment. "Oh, you mean with how she nearly blew this place up? I guess not." She sighed. "So then what? Is Shirai-san going to continue being a crazy beast?"

"The collar should help suppress some of those urges." Kazari said, glancing upwards so as to not get caught staring. "Besides, now that Misaka-san has tamed her wolf form she should be able to command her to a certain extent."

Saten-san's expression grew strained. "That was _taming_?"

"It looked bad, but please remember that vampires and werewolves are both ridiculously strong!"

"Yeah yeah, I know." She sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "You know, you really seem to know everything there is to know about this stuff. It's really amazing."

Kazari jolted when those green eyes stared right at her, and her cheeks flushed. "Eh – ah, well… I used to read a lot of old books in the library in Academy City back when we lived there. They have tons of those…" She glanced shyly at the porch floor, feeling her ears heating up under that stare.

"You're a true bookworm, huh?" Saten-san grinned, and Kazari blushed. "Oh, by the way, I nearly forgot. Here." The battle mage turned towards Kiyama-sensei's table on the porch and picked something up. When she turned back, she held out a flowery headband decorated with…

"Are those Kiyama-sensei's vampire flowers?" The pink flowers looked inconspicuously innocent in their dry state, pink and thorny.

"I wanted to give you something new." Saten-san grinned. "And now you even have a weapon to defend yourself with!"

"That's not funny!"

"Uiharu headbutt!"

Kazari groaned, but she smiled nonetheless. "Well thanks, Saten-san. It's very nice." She accepted the headband and, after a second of hesitation, exchanged it for her old one. Saten-san grinned at her.

"Looks great!" And then she leaned in and planted a kiss on Uiharu's forehead. "Okay, I'm off!" The battle mage jumped off the porch and then sprinted across the yard, before turning and heading towards the forest. Kazari sat there, stunned. Her cheeks were entirely red and butterflies danced in her stomach. And then panic struck. _S-S-She kissed me!? _Oh no, what did this mean? Was Saten-san secretly in love with her? _That's not p-p-possible! _She shook her head violently and stood up swiftly. _I-I-It was just a show of friendship! Saten-san is always blunt like that, there's no way it means anything more! _She turned towards the front yard with a silly smile on her face. _No way, there's no way! Haha! _Her lips pulled into a strange grin and she laughed.

"S-Sure, she's fine and all, but kissing Saten-san? No way, right? Hahahaa…" and while she tried to laugh it away, the words registered in her head and her face exploded.

XXX

"I could just lie here and smell you for days." Mikoto sniffed her ear again and it twitched. Kuroko was trapped beneath her on the bed and had long since lost the battle for dominance. At this point there was nothing to do but wait until Mikoto had had her fill of sniffing and licking and nibbling on those strange, demonic ears on top of her head.

Although she was annoyed, her heart skipped strangely in her chest every time Mikoto did something to those things, and she couldn't claim that having her lover all over her like this was uncomfortable. In fact, it was all making her blush rather heavily. Mikoto's advances tended to do that to her, ever since the day they met. She had thought herself a competent vampire hunter, with her paladin skills and teleport and a kill list of twelve vampires to her experience, but Mikoto had shattered that image in an instant. Versus the matriarch, Kuroko was nothing but a child. Whenever the vampire made a move on her, she still had trouble believing it at times.

And now she was a goddamn dog.

"I'm not your pet!" She growled, and could feel Mikoto's smirk against her head. A hand stroked Kuroko down her midriff. She could feel the bandage wrapping Mikoto's arm and realized it must be a result of last night. Her gut twisted in guilt.

"You smell even better now than before. The way your heart beats…" Mikoto drew a deep breath and her chest pressed into Kuroko's back. "It's like a drug…"

Kuroko gritted her teeth. "Don't grow high on my smell just like that! This is no time for lying about in a bed!"

"Why, what else should we be doing?" She was purring, a sound that reverberated into Kuroko's core. _D-Damn her! _"You're all worked up, Kuroko~" Her tongue touched Kuroko's ear again and she shuddered. The delight spreading from the gesture was both a curse and a blessing.

"M-Mikoto-"

"I want to make you feel good~" She snaked her hands beneath Kuroko's chest and touched her breasts. Kuroko squirmed and groaned. _This is no good, I'm getting aroused. _Her eyes span and her chest heaved for air. Mikoto's body was pressing her down and she could feel every movement of her muscles, making her head even lighter. Mikoto's breathing was starting to come quicker and her movements were betraying the rising desire in her body as well.

Kuroko tried to resist. "I-I don't want to, not like this!"

"Like what?"

"N-Not while I'm just this - this beast thing!" She yelped as Mikoto's teeth scraped by the base of her ear and the vampire's breath caressed the sensitive hairs.

"What's wrong with being a beast?"

"M-Mikoto!"

"Don't you want me?" The scents tickling into Kuroko's nose were starting to get to her and she gasped for air. Yet her eyes burned with tears. She wanted to, but she didn't want to. She had attacked Mikoto, tried to kill her - in all honesty, all she could remember from last night was an intense desire to rip the vampire apart - and she felt like a beast, not worthy of any sort of affectionate attention from her lover. The bandage on Mikoto's arm only reminded her of it, and knowing how her attack had left her lover with wounds that wouldn't heal normally made her feel awful. Even if Mikoto insisted, Kuroko continued to feel guilty. But no matter what she thought, the fog in her head was growing and Mikoto's administrations left no doubt as to how aroused the vampire was. There was no way Kuroko could stop her, not like this.

She tried to inch away once more but trapped beneath a matriarch at full strength there wasn't much she could do. Mikoto was stroking her breasts and nibbling her ear while an increasingly captivating purr rumbled in her chest and made Kuroko's body like jelly beneath her. _W-Why is every sound so much clearer now?_

And then the entire house shook and a loud rumble penetrated the steamy haze the two of them had been lulled into. Mikoto abruptly looked up and Kuroko breathed out in relief.

"Ah, too bad." A dry voice made her ears twitch and Kuroko turned her head, dread filling her every cell. Kiyama-sensei was looking at the ceiling with a bored look in her eyes. "It was starting to become rather interesting."

"Ki-Ki—" Kuroko was unable to speak properly.

"What was that?" Mikoto turned towards the woman, and Kuroko was convinced at once that the vampire had known she was there all along.

Kiyama hmmm'ed. "I suppose we should go check on her…"

Kuroko's eyes widened. "What, Uiharu?"

The house shook again and Mikoto was off in an instant. Kuroko, bewildered and shocked, stumbled out of the bed and then teleported after her. "W-Wait up!"

XXX

The sight that met them in the yard in front of the porch was one shell-shocked Uiharu and—

"Teehee!"

The large breasts bounced as the longhaired girl covered in nothing but pink petals twirled around on the spot. Green spiky vines lashed out and connected with the roof above the porch, shaking the whole building on impact and sending pieces of the tiles flying through the air. The girl was strangely familiar and upon closer inspection Kuroko recognized the face and hair.

"Saten-san!?" Kuroko gaped.

"That's not Saten-san!" Mikoto was beside her, glaring at the spinning girl. "She doesn't smell the same at all!" She scowled. "It's old blood."

"What?" Kuroko looked back at the yard. There was no doubt that the flowergirl looked like Saten-san; however that was also where the similarity ended. Her skin was pink, her eyes were white, green vines sprouted from her back and those breasts reminded her of her senior back in Judgment - Kuroko shook her head.

"M-Misaka-san, Shirai-san!" Uiharu turned towards them from where she sat on the porch, looking like she'd been flung there. Several puncture wounds covered the side of her face, as if she'd taken a slap from one of the vines.

"Uiharu, are you okay!?" Kuroko yelled at her and Mikoto charged past, leaping into the air above the flowery girl. The vampire matriarch charged a bolt of lightning and prepared to fling it at the girl, but was caught off guard when one of the vines lashed out and wrapped around her body like a chain.

"What the hell!?" She struggled against the hold, but it barely budged at all.

Kuroko's heart jumped to her throat. _Even Mikoto!?_

"Damnit!" The matriarch let out a burst of electricity, scorching the vines.

"Aaaah~" The flowery girl made a strange sound and Kuroko paled. It didn't look like it was having much of an effect at all, in fact…

"It… likes it?"

Uiharu was staring with her mouth open, and none of them knew what to make of this situation. The vines clenched tighter around Mikoto and she gave a yelp of pain.

"What the hell is wrong with that flower!?" Kuroko reached for her spikes but realized she didn't have her belts equipped. _Crap! _Gritting her teeth, she turned towards the flower-version of Saten-san and snapped a hand out. "Gnichtib!"

A sphere of light appeared above the monster and gathered in strength until it exploded downwards, a beam of holy light striking the girl head on. The flower girl screamed, but it wasn't the sound of someone in pain at all. Instead the vines tightened their hold even more and Mikoto cried in pain. The flower girl laughed and licked her lips while her breasts bounced.

"What's going on? Why won't it take any damage?" Uiharu was crying in fear and Kuroko's heart was beating quickly, yet she was out of ideas at the moment. The flowergirl chuckled and lashed out again with one of the vines, this time tearing a hole right through the roof above them.

"It's getting stronger!?" Kuroko dove to the side and stared up. _It looks like those vampire flowers… _Her eyes widened. _It's drinking Mikoto's blood to power up!? _Mikoto was struggling in its hold and even though her bangs sparked it didn't seem like electricity was helping much._ I need to get her out of that thing! _

"Move."

Kiyama's voice made them look back, and Kuroko's eyes widened. Kiyama was carrying a giant gun on her shoulder.

"What in the world…"

"...is that?" Uiharu finished, eyes wide.

Kiyama moved forward and took aim at the laughing monster in her front yard. With eyes as bored as ever she pulled the trigger, and space twisted. For a second it looked like the very dimension around the gun twirled, and then an insanely loud blast struck their ears - Kuroko cried and covered her ears as good as she could, but the sound still penetrated to deep within her bones. She watched with one eye clenched shut as the grinning pink face of Saten-san was hit by an invisible force so strong that the air around it shook and bent - and then the upper half of the flower girl was disintegrated.

The vine that was trapping Mikoto no longer had any hold and she dropped to the ground. The lower half of the flower girl twirled once more before falling over, and a pool of blood gushed out.

"Uugh, that was so disgusting."

The ringing in her ears was lessening, enough so to pick up Mikoto's comment of disdain. Kuroko slowly removed her hands and stared at them, relieved to find that she could still hear.

Kiyama put the stock of the giant gun to the porch, not a single hair ruffled on her frame. She glanced down at Uiharu, whom looked back up with an awed expression on her face.

"Are you okay?"

Finally, tears started welling up in her eyes. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I was so distressed and then I messed up the spell and—"

Kuroko huffed. "Are you saying you summoned a — whatever that was, on accident?"

"Alraune." Kiyama said, looking at Mikoto who made her way over to them while sighing deeply.

"Well that was a mess. What the heck was that thing, I couldn't move at all."

Kiyama didn't bat an eyelash. "Alraunes arise when someone is attempting to cast spells on flowers while in a state of confusion. In this case the result being a murderous variant due to the nature of the vampire flowers, and they still had the blood of that longhaired girl in their system."

Mikoto gave her a dubious look.

"They only come when casting spells on flowers while confused?" Kuroko said dryly. "I suppose we're not meeting one of those again anytime soon then."

Uiharu's eyes were wide, and Kiyama scratched her neck. "I suppose I'll throw this thing out. That was the last shot anyhow." She turned around and picked up the gun, walking back inside.

The three of them stared after her, Uiharu shocked, Kuroko doubtful and Mikoto with a narrowed gaze.

"...I wouldn't want to take on that thing in a battle."

Kuroko snapped out of it at the sound of her voice, and turned towards Mikoto. "Are you alright!?"

Mikoto huffed, obviously displeased. "I'm fine, it's already healing up. I swear, getting caught by some freaking flower monster…" She raised an arm and Kuroko noticed that the puncture wounds were already closing. Contrary to the bandaged wound, these seemed pretty harmless to the vampire. Kuroko was relieved.

Then her lips pulled into a smirk. "I never thought I'd see the day when you were caught."

Mikoto tsk'ed, but Kuroko had to hide a snicker at the pink in her cheeks. "That was a fluke, that's all! If Kiyama hadn't showed up I'd have blown it to bits."

Kuroko's smirk grew at the look on her face. "You liked it, didn't you? Having your blood sucked~"

Even her ears reddened at that. "I did _not_!"

"Ahaha you're blushing."

Mikoto growled in annoyance and glanced down at Uiharu, and Kuroko realized the girl was still bleeding from her cheek.

"Uiharu, are you al— hey!" Mikoto was cut off when the girl suddenly stood up and disappeared into the house, apparently set on following Kiyama-sensei.

"What's up with her?" Kuroko stared after her.

"I hope she's okay." Mikoto scratched her neck. Then she looked at Kuroko, and Kuroko suddenly shuddered. "So~" The vampire moved closer and breathed into her ear, "How about we pick up from where we left off...?"

"Are you only attracted to my ears now or what!?"

XXX

Kazari ran through the hallway and heard Kiyama-sensei's footsteps from the cellar stairs. Pulling the door open, she followed the woman down the staircase into the basement, breathing quickly. The basement was dim and smelled of old basement things, like potatoes.

"K-Kiyama-sensei!"

The woman had just deposited the giant gun into a pile of other devices when she turned around. Kazari leaned on her knees, attempting to catch her breath. Her cheek stung and tears burned at the edges of her eyes again.

"Why…" she pulled another breath. "Why did you say that?"

Kiyama regarded her with a solemn look. "What would you rather have me say?"

Kazari hesitated. "B-But—! I messed up the spell! I wasn't thinking clearly and then I mixed it up with another spell I read in a book once and—"

"Reviving harmless flowers and failing is one thing," Kiyama said (making Kazari wonder what she'd consider _dangerous _flowers), "but reviving harmless flowers and creating a monster strong enough to rival a matriarch is not something a regular cleric would be able to do."

Kazari stared at her in bewilderment. "But these were vampire flowers! A-And Misaka-san wasn't fighting with her full power!"

"Hmmmm." Kiyama looked at the floor as if waiting for its opinion. "Avoiding the topic."

"I'm not!"

"What spell did you mix it up with?" Kiyama suddenly stared at her, and Kazari jolted.

"Eeeh?" She hesitated, but the woman's gaze was penetrating her skull and it felt like she could see right into Kazari's brain. "J-Just some old spell in a book I read."

"What kind of book?"

"Ah, uhm…" she suddenly felt like she'd done something real bad. "I have it in my backpack…"

Kiyama's eyes narrowed. "Show me."

XXX

Ruiko hummed as she walked over the grassy plain towards Kiyama's house. She was looking forward to going back - she hadn't seen Toaru village in days and was starting to wonder if everyone was doing okay.

"I wanna see your tail, show me your tail!"

"I have no tail! Don't pull at my pants, you perverted vampire!"

"Don't be so stingy, show me your cute bushy tail~"

"I said I don't have one! If I did I'd chop it off!"

Ruiko heard the conversation before she could see the two of them, and her already wide grin widened even more. _Those two are so adorable~ _She grinned and imagined herself and Uiharu in a similar relationship. Not a bad image at all.

She hoisted her catch higher up on her shoulder and passed the corner of the house so that she could see the front yard.

"Yohoo, Misaka-san, Shirai-san—uwaah, what the heck happened here!?" She blanched, seeing the remains of what looked like a pink human lying in the front yard, giant green spiky vines curled on the ground, and a hole in the roof above the porch.

Misaka-san, who had been all over a flustered Shirai-san (trapped to the wall), looked back and beamed.

"Saten-san! What is that thing on your back?"

Disregarding the chaos in the yard, Ruiko grinned, jumped over the low fence bordering the yard and slung her catch on the ground in front of the porch. "Tadaa! I found a sausage bush!"

Misaka-san grimaced and Shirai-san poked her head out from behind her, wolf ears flicking on top of her head. "Sausage?"

"Well I guess that can serve as provisions for a while." Misaka-san huffed, although her whole attitude spoke of disgust.

"We're not going to force you to eat, Misaka-san. Shirai-san, you like sausages, right?" Ruiko grinned at the paladin and Shirai-san's eyes seemed to shimmer for a moment, before her expression grew shocked.

"Eh? What, no I don't care for them in particular." She turned her head away in defiance and Ruiko inwardly snickered. _Just like I thought~ _"I guess we can bring some as provisions though."

"Sure, I'll pack them up for us." Ruiko picked up the bush and proceeded up on the porch, where she placed it on the table. Misaka-san gave the branches and the sausages clinging to them a disgusted look, and Ruiko grinned at her. "There's a long travel to Toaru village from here, so we'll need a bit of food."

Misaka-san snorted at the idea of those sausages being food, but Shirai-san was having major trouble pretending to not care about the fleshy meat dangling just meters away.

Ruiko started picking the sausages off one by one, leaving the saucy tips of branches to leak aroma into the air. Misaka-san had enough at that point and went inside, but Shirai-san was still staring at the sausages.

"So Shirai-san, have you noticed any changes yet after becoming a werewolf?"

"Eh?" The girl jolted, and then hurriedly looked away from the bush. Her ears flicked and she reddened. "N-not in particular."

"Huuuh." Ruiko ripped off a sausage and some of the sauce sprayed across the porch. Shirai-san twitched and her eyes snapped to the spilled liquid, although she tensed at that point and seemed to fight some sort of urge. Ruiko pretended she didn't see it and just stacked the sausage on top of the others in the chair. "No superhuman strength or anything?"

Shirai-san was trying to focus at her, apparently with great difficulty. "I guess it seems like my hearing has become sharper…"

"Just those ears then? They're adorable by the way. I can see why Misaka-san is all over them."

Shirai-san blushed and huffed. "She's being childish."

"That's our good old Misaka-san then. Childish and ultra-powerful. Hmm." Ruiko gazed at the stack of sausages in the chair. "I think I'll ask Kiyama-sensei if she has something we can wrap them up in."

She left the stack there and entered the house. Just as she walked down the hallway she heard an agitated voice and recognized it as Uiharu's. Curious, she stuck her head into the living room and saw that the cleric with the cute pink flowers on her headband was clenching her fists, face red, and talking heatedly with Misaka-san and Kiyama-sensei. _Ooh~? _Sensing something interesting, Ruiko stopped and entered the room.

"Why do we need to do that?" Uiharu was saying, and Ruiko noticed the bandage on her cheek. Thinking back to the vine monster she'd seen in the yard, she shuddered. At least it seemed like she was okay.

"Hmmm." Kiyama-sensei looked as dull as ever. "This is outside my area. I can see that it has been designed with a certain purpose in mind, but I cannot say what."

"So you think seeing this Nunotaba-san will be the best thing to do?" Misaka-san asked, hand on her chin as she looked down at the table between them. Ruiko's curiosity grew with every word and she inched closer, glancing over Misaka-san's shoulder. Then her eyes widened.

"W-What the heck is that thing!?" On the table between the three of them lay a – a monster. "Kill it! Misaka-san!" She shrieked and grabbed Misaka-san's shoulder.

"It's a book!" Uiharu glared up at her with an adorable pout.

"A book!? It has eyes! And it's bleeding!"

"That's why I stuffed a sock in its mouth." Uiharu huffed and folded her arms. "It wouldn't stop screaming."

Ruiko's stare moved from her flowery-headed friend to the thing on the table that she called a book. It _was _square, and it did look like it had pages, upon closer inspection. However that cover... she gulped. "Why the heck do you have a book like that?"

"It's actually quite interesting!" Uiharu claimed.

Ruiko let go of Misaka-san and stepped over to Uiharu, grabbing her cheek between her thumb and index finger. "Are you crazy!? It looks like a tortured woman whose face got stretched across a book cover!"

"Ju wuhdn uhnderstanh dis!" Uiharu protested, attempting to pull her hand away.

Misaka-san scratched her cheek. "So Kiyama-sensei." She looked over at the woman. "You think this thing is cursed?"

Ruiko jolted, staring at the two of them, still trapping Uiharu's cheek despite the tears in the corner of the girl's eyes. "Cursed?" She ignored Uiharu's indignant glare.

"Hmmm." Kiyama stroked her chin. Then she leaned down and poked a finger at the book. It twitched, and Ruiko yelped. "It does indeed carry the air of something forbidden. I believe taking it to a witch would be the best. They can analyze it on a whole different level than I can."

Ruiko's eyes widened. "A… witch?"

Misaka-san sighed. "As long as there is a chance that Uiharu has been cursed, I guess we have no choice."

"Uiharu is cursed!?" Ruiko stared at her friend, who finally managed to wriggle out of the pinch. Her cheek was red and she pouted so hard it made Ruiko's heart skip a beat.

"Nekomimi wouldn't curse me!"

Ruiko blinked. "You have a _name _for it!?"

"It's the title! It says so inside!" She pointed accusingly at the book.

"Yeah sure, whatever." Ruiko raised her hands in defeat. While Uiharu kept fuming, she turned towards Misaka-san. "So we'll be taking a detour on our way home then?"

"Nunotaba lives in Pihs Looc." Kiyama-sensei said, and Ruiko's heart did an odd lurch.

"A book cannot curse anyone! It's a _book_!" Uiharu was still being stubborn, but they all promptly ignored her. Misaka-san put a hand to her chin and glanced down at the table.

"While I wouldn't want too much time wasted, carrying that thing around doesn't seem like the greatest idea either."

Ruiko couldn't help it. "Why don't you just burn it?"

At that, Uiharu let out a sharp gasp, and she scrambled in, placing herself between the table and Misaka-san with her arms outstretched like a shield, glaring up at them. Though she tried to act tough, Ruiko saw her knees tremble. _Soooo cute~_

"I-If you want to hurt Nekomimi you have to go through me first."

"I see." Misaka-san sighed, and smiled. "Then here's the choice: Either I go _through _you…" at that, Uiharu gulped, "or you move."

Ruiko knew Misaka-san would never hurt Uiharu, but the threat was intimidating all the same.

"I don't think destroying it would be the best idea." Kiyama said dryly, observing them with as much enthusiasm as watching grass grow. "It might unleash powers that we have no way of determining the scope of."

"Heeh, interesting." Misaka-san grinned, and Ruiko sensed a dangerous curiosity emanating from the vampire.

"Okay here's the deal." Ruiko pressed forward, interrupting the scene before it could escalate beyond her control. "I'll take the book in my backpack."

"Eh?" Uiharu blinked.

"Misaka-san, you are not to destroy it."

The vampire tsk'ed.

"Uiharu, you are not to read it."

"That's not fair!"

"And we'll go to that Nuto-witch and have her take a look at it."

"Nunotaba." Kiyama corrected.

"Right." Ruiko nodded. "And Kiyama-sensei, do you have something to wrap a bunch of sausages in? Or what's left of them anyway."

Misaka-san blinked. "Left?"

Ruiko's lips pulled into a smirk.

XXX

Shirai Kuroko was a proud vampire hunter. She had first killed a vampire on a mission with her senior in Judgment, Konori-senpai, when their ambush turned out to be a reverse ambush and her senior got knocked out after taking out one of the two vampires they ended up facing. Kuroko had somehow managed to outsmart the other vampire, despite their physical strength being many times that of a twelve year old girl.

She was specially trained for the task of killing murderous monsters, and had the tools available to do so. She was strong and dependent.

There was no way Kuroko would lose a battle with a bunch of sausages. The second Saten-san went inside, Kuroko's eyes snapped to the stack of sausages in the chair and her heart beat oddly.

"No way." She huffed and turned her head away. "Those are barely considered food by dog owners." Why had Saten-san even brought them? It wasn't like they were that badly equipped that they couldn't make do with whatever they could hunt. There was no reason for them to sink to the levels of sausages… yet they did smell rather good.

Jolting at her own thought, she quickly shook her head. _No way! Nooo way. _Resisting the urge to scold herself like an owner to the dog, she gritted her teeth. Glancing inside the open doorway to the house, she picked up voices. Her ears flicked as Uiharu's shrill voice stood out. She was still not used to her new ears, and frankly, still shocked and disturbed at it all, but Mikoto's behavior had effectively guided her attention elsewhere (_curse that attractive vampire_). Besides which, there were sausages. Not that they had anything to do with her particular situation, but they did look tasty, and they were best while fresh…

She jerked as she realized her thoughts had once more betrayed her and glared at the sausages, breathing in deep. Was this urge really hers? Had that black blood - cursed, black, filthy blood - done something more to her? It was like, the more she looked at the sausages the tastier they looked. They were damn nigh irresistible, laying in a pile like that, slightly bent in a banana shape, glistening from tasty sauce. She licked her lips, and then terror truly struck her. _What is this gluttony!? _Horrified, she grabbed at her ears and cursed inwardly. It was like she was not herself anymore. These urges, born from deep within her - whose were they?

_I'm not going to be controlled by this beastial hunger! _She didn't even think as she strode forward and grabbed a whole bunch of sausages, flinging them into the air. _Get out of my sight! _As they hit the ground her ears flicked again and she turned. The sausages rolled over the ground between the green spiky vines and she snapped. Teleporting after them, she ravenously tore into the first one and the tasty sauce dripped onto her tongue making her whine in delight.

She gulped down the sausage like she'd never tasted food in her life, and then pounced on the next one, sinking her teeth into it as well. _It's so good! Soo good! _Bliss was filling her and she licked the sausage, then tore it to pieces and ate every piece like it was the most extravagant caviar. Next one, next one. There were so many! She couldn't help the glee and she played with them, rolling them across the ground and jumping after them, or teleporting the sausage into the air, then teleporting after it and catching it in her mouth before it could fall back down.

She was just about to start another one when her ears flicked and she suddenly looked up towards the porch. All the blood in her body flooded into her head and she felt dizzy for a moment. There at the porch stood all of them; Uiharu, Saten-san, Kiyama - and Mikoto as well, although she was on her hands and knees, and Kuroko couldn't tell if she was crying or laughing.

Kuroko's mouth opened in shock and the sausage she'd bitten into fell to the ground.

That was enough to set them off. Saten-san collapsed against the railing, laughing so hard the tears gushed out; Uiharu was staring at Kuroko in awe, and Mikoto looked up at her, the most pained expression Kuroko had ever seen adorning her face.

"It's so cute - it's too cute!" Her lover _was _crying, and Kuroko was about to ask why; "It's so cute I can't stand it, and it reeks - you reek of sausage! Aaah I want to hug you but the smell! I can't handle it!"

While Kuroko stared at her lover and her heart rate continued at an unhealthy speed, Kiyama (hands in her pockets) gave a deep sigh.

"If I knew sausage was that good I would have had some long ago."

XXX

That night Mikoto refused to share Kuroko's bed.

"You stink of sausage!" Although she looked pained at leaving her, she had trouble even staying in the same room without tearing up. Kuroko was aghast, and she curled up on the bed hugging her knees to her chin. _I'm just a dog to her now. _She wanted to cry, but her eyes were stubbornly dry. _It's all thanks to that Gilmore! _She scowled. He had to go and kidnap Mikoto, had to starve her to an inch of her life and of course, Mikoto couldn't help it when she drank Kuroko almost dry and triggered the black blood to activate. How were they supposed to know? The vampire matriarch still displayed affection towards Kuroko, but it felt different. This cuddling and hugging was certainly nice, but it had mostly been aimed at her ears, and even though it was pleasant it irked Kuroko that Mikoto might just start treating her more as a pet than a lover.

And the sausages. She wanted to die of embarrassment. Even now, the taste remained in her mouth and somewhere deep inside, she craved more. _Oh God. _She stuffed a pillow over her face and breathed deeply in the scent of feathers and cloth. Maybe she was being childish.

She lay there and slowly, her mind travelled down different paths. Saten-san had told her they'd be taking a detour on their way home, to visit a witch called Mutobana ("Nunotaba," Kiyama corrected) in Pihs Looc. Kuroko hadn't entirely gathered the reason why, but there was something about a book and a sock and a curse, and Mikoto had given her consent, so there wasn't really much for Kuroko to discuss. She wondered briefly if the witch could possibly help her out of this curse as well. But then again, she didn't want to find out. What if the witch just looked at her and said there was no way to reverse it?

Besides, going to Pihs Looc, and right into the arms of the waiting Judgment branch seated in that city…? No, she'd rather go home. Go back to Toaru village, settle back into their own lives, and forget everything that had happened.

As if on cue her arm throbbed. She curled up even more on the bed and pressed the pillow into her face as she tried to stop the tears from emerging.

XXX

Ruiko stared at the ceiling, hands below her head (she had stuffed all the pillows into the corner). Her baseball bat was leaning against the wall on the floor beside the bed, and her backpack was beside it. She was staring at the dark wooden ceiling, but not really seeing it. Her mind was wandering over the events of the past few weeks and how she should be dealing with them. Everything was proceeding so smoothly it was almost scary. She hadn't anticipated Kiyama-sensei to send them off to Pihs Looc, and it was unsettling – and somewhat exciting – that it happened to be just at the right time too. When the orders from Anti-Skill came she hadn't known what to do – having already been so absorbed into Uiharu, Shirai-san and Misaka-san and their fascinating lives.

There was something about Misaka-san. Ruiko had never really met a vampire before, but she could tell. She had been limping her way back from a fight where she'd been thoroughly beaten – having anticipated two opponents and meeting eight – in the dead of night, when she met her.

Leaning on one of the house walls, she was breathing heavily and her head swayed. She wiped her nose, blood sticking to her hand. There was no doubt she was in a bad shape, and in an unfamiliar town to boot. Toaru village was supposed to be a quick stop between two jobs, but instead she'd managed to get involved in a brawl and well, shit luck.

Movement in the alley had startled her, but she hadn't realized someone was there before it was too late. A girl, looking to be about her own age, was in front of her before she knew it. Ruiko stared up into brilliant red irises and knew she was dead. It was not a question; a strange sensation in her body told her so. _Oh well. I had an eventful life. _Perhaps it was the aura around the girl, or the way she held herself, with complete confidence even at that time of night. Ruiko had shrunk towards the wall and, clenching her battered arm (still holding onto her bat), she had quickly assessed her situation and any possibly outcomes.

"You're injured." The person in front of her had leaned in, regarding her bloody nose.

Ruiko gritted her teeth. "Get lost."

Lips pulled up into a grin, and Ruiko noticed the fangs on either side, and realized she was face to face with one of _them_. Her first reaction was to scream and swing her bat. A hand covered her mouth however, and the other gripped her wrist. _T-Too strong! _There was nothing to even fight, like how moving a mountain was not even worth trying. She strained in the grip but the vampire was simply regarding her.

"You're quick to lash out, huh."

Ruiko couldn't speak, and neither did she know what to say. Beg for her life?

But the vampire released her wrist, and stroked a thumb over Ruiko's lips. This move made her even more wary. Was this specimen not going to brutally attack her? She knew how they fed. And for that matter, why did she look so normal? Weren't vampires supposed to be monsters? Aside from the red eyes and the fangs, Ruiko could have mistaken her for a human.

Ruiko's knees were trembling and she was starting to feel dizzy. She'd been beaten quite a lot, and her body was hitting its limit. As she collapsed forward, the girl caught her, and Ruiko's head rested on her chest. There was a heartbeat, and that surprised her. _They actually have hearts? _She realized how little she knew of vampires then, and fainted.

Misaka-san had brought her to the cleric of the village, and that was Uiharu's mother. Uiharu had been there, and she'd seemed so innocent and naïve that Ruiko thought she was at least four years older. How shocked had she been when Uiharu cleared that misunderstanding and told her she was, in fact, sixteen as well.

Not only that, but Uiharu had told her all about Misaka-san. Apparently, Toaru village regarded her as somewhat of a treasure. She kept other vampires away, and never killed her victims. Neither did she turn anyone, and Ruiko realized then that she had met a matriarch. Only matriarchs were able to turn humans into vampires. Achieving that rank must take a lot of work, and a lot of power. She became intrigued by the idea of a kind matriarch and decided to check it out a bit more. Anti-Skill were always on the lookout for worthy opponents, after all; however Misaka-san was definitely out of her league. She had met Shirai-san as well, and quickly realized the would-be vampire hunter had been tamed just like the villagers of Toaru. Misaka-san might not have turned any of them, but she might as well have called them all part of her pack.

It seemed like Ruiko had become part of it too. It was only a few months since that had happened, but she already felt like she knew this group of people just as well as she knew her Anti-Skill team. She had been gone for a while for a different job, and returned to Toaru village just a week ago on her way to Pihs Looc, to hear Misaka-san was missing. She had sensed it right then; the need to help out. It was like these people had snuck underneath her skin and imprinted on her or something.

For good or worse? She had trouble deciding. She knew what Anti-Skill expected. If she accepted Misaka-san as the leader of this little group, she would like to know what the vampire expected as well, and weigh the two options against each other. So far, she hadn't been able to find out, but she felt like this journey might give her the answer.

Her hand shot down and grabbed Uiharu by the cape around her shoulders. "What are you doing?"

The cleric jerked, and looked up at her with the biggest puppy eyes Ruiko had ever seen.

"I-I just wanted to read a little."

She had crawled all the way from her own bed, along the floor, as if trying to hide her intents from the battle mage. Ruiko was no amateur however. She had seen her the second she slipped out of bed, and pretended to not notice.

"Out of the question. Go back to bed."

Uiharu, realizing puppy eyes were not going to do it, returned to pouting. "Saten-san, you're so mean!" _Soooo adorable._ Ruiko grinned.

"And you're so cute. Are you sure you're actually sixteen?"

Uiharu reddened quite predictably. "Of course I am! Don't make fun of me, you brute!"

"Oooooh that stings."

"You stupid! Idiot! It's not a dangerous book, I just want to read it!"

"Yeah well, as long as Misaka-san and Kiyama-sensei seems to think otherwise, I'm not going to go against their word." Ruiko sighed, and chuckled when Uiharu tugged at her hold. "Nope, that won't work."

Uiharu was fuming, and Ruiko enjoyed the sight of her reddening face. Then suddenly Uiharu pounced forward, and Ruiko yelped in surprise.

"You moron!" Uiharu squealed and then she somehow wriggled out of her cape and ran off, exiting the room. Ruiko stared after her, still holding the garment in her hand. She might be a masochist for enjoying the badmouthing, but… _Damn. She's flexible._

XXX

Kazari ran past the door to Shirai-san and Misaka-san's room and down the stairs, tears burning in her eyes. _Stupid stupid stupid Saten-san! _She wanted to bang her fists into the wall and cry. It was so unfair. Always like this. Never taken seriously, always laughed at, being the cute one. Kazari was no child; she had thought Saten-san of all people knew that. She had felt like Saten-san saw her for who she was, and not like everyone else, a child, someone to grin at and rub their head. She had… for a moment, she had actually thought that the kiss on her head had meant something. Now that spot burned and she felt silly.

_Silly silly silly! Of course it didn't mean anything! _Saten-san probably did that to anyone. She found a lot of things cute; she had even admitted that she found Shirai-san's new ears adorable, earlier. Kazari felt stupid for becoming jealous, but she couldn't help it. She had, somewhere deep inside, been hoping that Saten-san might actually see for who she was. A person. A woman.

Would she always be the little girl?

She hadn't even realized where she was going, but suddenly she found herself in the living room. Kiyama-sensei was sitting at a workbench in the corner, surrounded by different bottles and ingredients, bent over a bunch of papers. She looked up when Kazari entered the room.

"Aaah. The flowery-headed one."

"It's Uiharu Kazari." Kazari corrected her, wondering if the woman had even bothered to learn any of their names. She felt a bit awkward in front of her, having heard stories of Kiyama-sensei since she was little, and having read her published papers on vampires and other supernatural beings since she was big enough to read. Her mother was a huge fan of this cleric.

Kiyama-sensei regarded her for a long second. "You should be sleeping. You are leaving tomorrow morning, no?"

Kazari reddened. "I can take care of myself."

"Hmmm." The woman even sighed thoughtfully.

Kazari shuffled her feet, yet her curiosity was growing. "W-What are you doing?"

"Ah." The woman looked back at her papers. "Just finishing up some last bits of observation I've gathered over these past few days."

Kazari was instantly interested. "Is it about Misaka-san? You actually have a matriarch in your house, I guess that's rare!"

"Indeed." Kiyama-sensei stared at her papers. "She is quite intriguing."

"She's very kind!" Kazari beamed.

Kiyama-sensei looked back at her. "Have you known her for long?"

"We moved to Toaru village two years ago, and I heard about her, since the village is all head over heels with her. She approached us because we are clerics and sometimes she brings her victims to us if they seem weak after feeding."

"Hmmm. She is rather considerate, isn't she?"

"Yes!" Kazari loved talking about Misaka-san, finding vampires in general incredibly fascinating.

Kiyama rubbed her chin. Then she nodded at a free chair. "Why don't you sit down for a while." It wasn't really a question.

Kazari eagerly jumped to the opportunity, having nurtured a hope of being able to talk properly to the woman whose work on vampires was renowned throughout the country.

"You are quite fond of vampires, is that so?" Kiyama-sensei asked once she'd pulled the chair over.

"Yes! Anything of the occult really!" Kazari nodded eagerly. "I find them so intriguing! And moving to Toaru village and listening to their stories about Misaka-san sparked it even more."

"I see. You know all about their workings then, I assume?"

"You mean like how their bodies work?" Kazari leaned forward, eager to explain what she knew. "Like how, when they drink blood, it is taken up by their system and functions as their own blood? They even have a heart that is dependent on blood, just like humans!"

"That's right. Although their bodies do not naturally produce blood, and they do not die if the heart stops beating. Do you know why?"

Kazari grinned. Of course she knew. "Their brains are different. It is not dependent on the oxygen carried by the blood in their veins. The signals inside it work in a different manner than ours, and they only need the energy of their brain to move around."

"Hmm, that is right as well." Kiyama-sensei looked interested, a glint in her eyes that Kazari hadn't seen before. Apparently, talking about her favorite subject was the only thing that could spark some sort of expression on her face.

"Also, I think you once wrote that it seems their heart is the source of their inhuman strength and abilities, which is why they lose all of that when every last bit is drained after a limitbreak." She remembered how weak Misaka-san had become with a twinge of guilt.

"You are quite correct." Kiyama-sensei looked pleased. "And the only way for killing a vampire is by depleting their brain of energy. Decapitation or destruction of both the brain and heart at the same time."

"That happens on its own after a while if they never feed, right?" Kazari said. "They cannot run on brain power indefinitely. Even if the blood doesn't necessarily keep them alive, the brain needs it to recharge."

"Indeed." Kiyama-sensei smiled lightly, small crinkles showing at the corner of her eyes. Kazari suddenly wondered what this woman would have been like as a mother. "Quite intriguing creatures, are they not? So strong, yet so delicate."

Kazari didn't know what to say, really. It had never occurred to her to use the word _delicate_ about someone who could lay waste to an entire town.

"Say, about Misaka-san." Kiyama-sensei leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm. "What kind of stories are they telling about her in Toaru village?"

Kazari glanced up with a smile. "They say she's the youngest matriarch of the current seven. She never turns humans, and she never kills her victims." Except back in that fortress, but Kazari was willing to overlook that incident. "She's strong, and gentle, and she's very kind. I like her a lot!" She beamed.

"Do you know how a vampire normally rises to the rank of matriarch?"

"Eh?" Kazari blinked. "Well, yes… they need to balance on the rope between gaining enough power and going power-crazy, right? So they feed more often than normal vampires, and gather enough blood until they are able to turn humans…" she faltered.

Kiyama was smiling. "Yes, that is correct. But there is something more."

Kazari cocked her head.

Her grin seemed to widen as she formed the word with her lips. "Fear."

"Huh?" Kazari blinked.

"I have studied the pasts of all the current matriarchs. There is but one thing that drives them all in the same direction. That is fear."

Kazari did not understand, but she was fascinated. "You mean they're afraid of something?" The idea was entirely unfamiliar. Misaka-san wasn't afraid of _anything_. "What would that be?"

Somehow, Kiyama seemed more intense now. "Dying. Being powerless. Forgotten. Abandoned. Looked down upon." Each word rolled off her tongue like a piece of music. "There are all sorts of reasons for being afraid. Common to them all is that their reaction to the fear is to gather more power for themselves. Some die in the process. Others go crazy and are taken down by their own kin. The select few that succeed are granted the powers of gods." She looked near obsessed now, and Kazari felt a chill down her spine. Yet this was so interesting she could only stay glued to the chair. "However amongst the current matriarchs there is one whom I cannot seem to grasp."

Kazari knew she was talking about the matriarch whom they had just freed from captivity.

"She is not like the others. She refuses to kill her prey. She does not turn humans. A matriarch without a pack is entirely unnatural. A matriarch with a human pack, even more so."

Kazari's chest tightened.

"As it seems, Misaka-san gained her power exclusively through the slaughter of other vampires and draining their blood. She did so in five short years, whereas other matriarchs spent an average of fifty years on their own ascension. How did she manage to do so without going crazy, you think?"

Kazari stared at the woman in front of her. She had no answer, and that seemed to be exactly what Kiyama-sensei had been expecting. She leaned back into her chair with a small sigh.

"Misaka-san is quite intriguing."

XXX

Mikoto lay on the rooftop, gazing at the stars above. Feeling the house, all of the occupants and the area around made her calmer, as she preferred knowing exactly where everyone was. Yet she couldn't help but frown. _I hope that book isn't half as bad as Kiyama-sensei seemed to think_. She didn't enjoy the idea that Kazari might be in danger because of something as shady as a book. Mikoto was not certain how to best fight a book if it came down to it. Ripping it apart or frying it with electricity seemed like liable options.

Then again, nothing had seemed to be wrong with Kazari so far, so it was probably okay. Still, that thing did look ominous, so having someone take a look at it probably wouldn't hurt. Mikoto had been around long enough to know that things could hide more than they let on at first.

_I hope that Nunotaba can take it off our hands. _It would probably hurt Kazari, but really, that book did not look like it would bring any good to anyone reading in it. _To think that she'd even have something like that…_ She turned her head, looking towards the village. A row of moose and wagons were just now entering the small village, torches lighting up the forms of humans.

She smiled. _Good, they got through._ She had intercepted their route the night before and drank her fill on five of their companions. Unable to find the peace and quiet she normally went for, she decided to play the beast for once and force them along. She had left plenty of blood in all of them however, so they shouldn't have had that much trouble recovering. Seeing how scared they'd been however, it was just as well that the four of them would be leaving in the morning. The village would probably become even more chaotic once they heard the traders' story.

Letting out a long breath, Mikoto looked back at the sky. She was finally back to full strength, but those two months without food had really left her with a new impression of what it meant to be hungry. She would never let any of her friends experience the same, that much was certain. Even if they'd eat disgusting sausages… she wrinkled her nose. But then she laughed.

"Jeez, Kuroko was all over them…" she had been totally paralyzed at first, seeing the paladin jumping around the yard like that. It was like watching a puppy play with a toy, and she had never seen anything more adorable in her life. She sighed and closed her eyes. She loved her so much. That long hair, usually tied up in pigtails, and her lean but strong body, toned muscles proof of years of training. Mikoto was drawn to strong humans, and Kuroko was one of the strongest she'd met. Physical power was one thing, but her mentality was in a different league. She hadn't met anyone else who could keep their cool while being fed on and even command her to stop.

_Her blood was delicious_. Even now, she could almost feel her stomach growl at the thought. The taste, rich, sweet, running over her tongue like balm. She had never tasted Kuroko's blood before and she regretted that the first time had to be when she was unable to completely savor it. She had been too desperate for food to think much about the taste. Although she'd have rather never taken the chance, she was glad that she got the opportunity at last.

And then she remembered the taste of that blood she'd sucked out of the vampire hunter last night. The black blood of a werewolf had devastated her senses, it was beyond this world, delicious on a whole new level. _Biting into that furry neck… _lapping it up, drop by drop, feeling it burn down her throat and tickling her insides, sending torrents of fire through her veins. The way her power had exploded, threatening to rip her mind apart with euphoria…

Someone was growling and panting, and it took a second before Mikoto realized it was herself. She had rolled over to her stomach, her fangs had sprouted and she was biting into her own arm. A single drop of blood trickled down the skin. Bewildered, she pulled her fangs out and caught the drop with her tongue. She watched the puncture wounds and the blood collecting in them, unsettled. _What was that about?_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>

Oh no, what troubles Mikoto? Why did all the last scenes revolve around her? How come Kazari is so damn cute when pouting? Where is this story going?

**BONUS SECTION**

**Kuroko: Please take me ("Why Not Me?" by Alexander Rybak)**

on the you tube: /watch?v=a6mYJ4xux4g

_[Verse 1]_  
>You're standing right in front of me<br>Your eyes are smoldering darkly  
>Wish I didn't know what's on your mind<br>But then I would have to be blind  
>I wonder what enchants you so<br>And yet I'm eagerly aglow  
>To be alone with you again<br>I hope this night will never end

_[Chorus]_  
>When you look at me like that<br>I feel like I am being trapped  
>I see your fangs are growing long<br>It makes me feel both right and wrong  
>I know I'm not the only one<br>You cannot drink when you're alone  
>I wonder how much you will take<br>My body slowly starts to shake

_[Verse 2]_  
>Tonight is young for you and me<br>Again you're looking up with plea  
>I guess I'll never know the truth<br>About the secrets from your youth  
>But if you promise not to eat<br>Until I can't stand on my feet  
>I guess it will be just okay<br>I love you, Mikoto, I say

_[Chorus]_  
>When you look at me like that<br>I feel like I am being trapped  
>I see your fangs are growing long<br>It makes me feel both right and wrong  
>I know I'm not the only one<br>You cannot drink when you're alone  
>I wonder how much you will take<br>My body slowly starts to shake

_[Bridge]_  
>Mi~ko~to~ take me~<br>(Mi~ko~to~ take me~)  
>Mi~ko~to~ take me~<br>(Mi~ko~to~ take me~)

_[Verse 3]_  
>You know you saved me from myself<br>I didn't know where I would end  
>But now I know where I will be<br>Until my time is leaving me  
>I know I'm not the only one<br>But for as long as I'm around  
>Whenever you feel all alone<br>I will be here for you my love

_[Chorus]_  
>When you look at me like that<br>I feel like I am being trapped  
>I see your fangs are growing long<br>It makes me feel both right and wrong  
>I know I'm not the only one<br>You cannot drink when you're alone  
>I wonder how much you will take<br>My body slowly starts to shake  
>Mikoto, please take me...<p>

* * *

><p>Cun: A sausage song would be awesome<br>Cun: maybe I'll write one later!  
>61wisampa: yesssss<br>61wisampa: oooooh  
>61wisampa: put a pick up line XD<br>Cun: pfff  
>Cun: which one?<br>Cun: sausage themed?  
>61wisampa: we need something vampire or wolf related<br>61wisampa: lol  
>61wisampa: YES<br>61wisampa: I TAKE IT BACK WE NEED SAUSAGE  
>Cun: "You are the wolf to my sausage"<br>Cun: ...  
>61wisampa: XD<br>61wisampa: that was terrible Cun-sama  
>Cun: it needs a punchline<br>Cun: but yes  
>Cun: it is<br>61wisampa: It needs to be something Kuroko will say to Mikoto  
>61wisampa: hmmmm<br>61wisampa: Kuroko: You know you're like a sausage  
>61wisampa: Mikoto: Why?<br>61wisampa: Kuroko: Because just looking at you makes me drool XD  
>61wisampa: okay that was terrible too<br>Cun: ppppfffff  
>Cun: Kuroko: You are like a sausage<br>Cun: Mikoto: What!? Do I reek that much!?  
>Cun: Ruiko: Because she plucked you from a bush!<br>Cun: Kazari: *blush*  
>61wisampa: Kuroko: I wanna eat you up<br>61wisampa: loooool  
>61wisampa: whaaaat?<br>Cun: nooooooo this makes no sense  
>61wisampa: plucked from a bush?<br>Cun: you know  
>61wisampa: I don't get the innuendo<br>Cun: Ruiko finds the sausage bush in part 3  
>Cun: aaand it makes no sense<br>61wisampa: XDDD  
>61wisampa: does that mean Mikoto was picked up from a bush too?<br>Cun: gaaah  
>61wisampa: you can always go for the innuendo XD<br>Cun: Maybe type out a mini theater instead  
>Cun: Kuroko: "I wanna rip these ears off! Where are my human ears!?"<br>Mikoto: *chewing something*  
>Kuroko: Is that my ears!?<br>Cun: okay no  
>Cun: that's just disgusting<br>61wisampa: XD  
>61wisampa: no comment<br>61wisampa: Kuroko: You know you're like a sausage…  
>61wisampa: Because I can have you any time anywhere XD<br>61wisampa: okay that's worse  
>Cun: "You're like a sausage"<br>Cun: "You are sleek and bendy and full of sauce inside"  
>Cun: you know this is getting worse<br>61wisampa: XDDD  
>61wisampa: how about Mikoto saying the pickup line?<br>61wisampa: Mikoto: If you're a wolf, then I must be a sausage  
>61wisampa: I want you to bite me~<br>61wisampa: XD  
>Cun: "Cause I want you to eat me up"<br>61wisampa: yeah this is getting worse


	4. Plot Always Thickens with a Bath Scene

**XXX**

**Part 4 - The plot always thickens with a bath scene**

**XXX**

The atmosphere was strange that next day. They left Kiyama-sensei and thanked for her hospitality; even Touma the farmer came to wave them off (he had unfortunately been tied up in a basement while the rest of the village faced off against them). Having been given a map by Kiyama-sensei, which clearly showed where the city of Pihs Looc was located, Kuroko took the lead with map in hand.

Uiharu was sulking off to the side, throwing looks at Mikoto every now and then. Kuroko figured it was due to Mikoto's decision that visiting the witch would in fact be best. She had gathered that Uiharu was rather fond of the book in question and personally, she didn't see the big deal. Although she'd rather not go.

While walking in front, Kuroko also picked up the fact that Mikoto wasn't being all ridiculous about her ears today. She had hidden them under a large brimmed hat that Kiyama had lying around, so perhaps not seeing them quelled the need for playing around with them. It annoyed her to realize that she actually missed it. _Silly. Stay focused. We need to get this over with and go home. _They'd already wasted too much time on this rescue operation.

Saten-san was the only one who seemed to have no concerns at all, keeping up with Kuroko for the most part.

"So if we go by our normal speed it'll take at least a week." The battle mage said, hands behind her head. Her bat was strapped onto her backpack and Kuroko had caught Uiharu sending it a glare. Apparently the book was kept in Saten-san's pack.

"That seems to be right." Kuroko confirmed.

"And it's in the opposite direction of Toaru town."

"That seems to be right."

"Man, you guys won't be home in a while, huh."

"…That seems to be right." There was no use teleporting either. It was simply too far, and she couldn't carry them all.

Saten-san sighed. "No teleporting, no travel by lightning—"

"There's no way you could do that anyhow, you know?"

"—And Uiharu might already be dying from some strange curse."

"I'm not cursed!"

Saten-san stared at the map in Kuroko's hand. "Wouldn't it be faster if we went this way?" She pointed, and Kuroko cocked her head, frowning.

"That's marsh."

"So?"

"You don't want to wade through marshlands for days!"

"No no, but Misaka-san can carry us over on her lightning, right?" Saten grinned and turned towards the vampire, and then stopped. "Eh? Misaka-san?"

Kuroko's ears twitched beneath the hat and she turned her head as well. Mikoto was staring into the woods, one hand clasped over her mouth. Did her fangs grow?

"Mikoto, are you hungry?"

Mikoto jerked, then looked at her and quickly glanced away. "N-No, I'm not. Don't worry, it's nothing!" She laughed and waved it off, and Kuroko was amazed at how bad she was at lying. She narrowed her eyes.

"You better not be refusing to eat again. We do not want another episode like the last one."

"Don't worry, I'm fine! I just ate the other day!" She looked flustered, but her shifting attitude was nothing new to Kuroko.

Saten-san just grinned however. "So you'll carry us over the marshes with your lightning, right?"

Mikoto wiped her mouth and removed her hand; Kuroko saw no sign of her fangs and decided to let it slide for now.

"That's not really possible."

"Eeeeh? Why?"

"You'd die."

Saten-san looked stunned at that, and she didn't argue the point any further.

XXX

The woods were lush and green at this time of year, birds chirping and the occasional carpet animal sniffing out a mushroom and attempting to eat it despite its mouth being covered by the furry carpet over its head and body. The world was filled with stupid creatures and Kuroko thanked powers beyond her control that her brain still functioned like a human's.

Uiharu was still sulking. She huddled along after Saten-san, brewing on such a dark atmosphere that Kuroko could swear the hairs on her neck stood on end because of it.

She stared ahead at the forest road, trying to think of other things. Her mind picked up the topic of Gilmore. She wondered what Judgment would do once they received word of the death of one of their most prized hunters. She didn't even want to think about it. But in order to deal with whatever would be the repercussions, she had to find a way of somehow removing this silly werewolf curse. The collar rested around her neck and served as a constant reminder.

A few more minutes passed without anyone saying anything, and then Kuroko's ears flicked. She turned her head towards the trees to their right. "A waterfall?"

For some reason, Saten-san groaned. She had a look of disgust on her face. "I just realized I haven't bathed in days."

"Ugh—!?" Kuroko jerked, and Saten-san glared at her.

"Neither have any of you."

"Uuh, well, Kiyama didn't really have the necessary facilities for all of us…" Kuroko was starting to excuse herself, and then she realized what she was doing and sighed. "You're right. We really should bathe."

"Maybe you'll get rid of that sausage stench too."

"I do not smell of sausage!"

Saten-san turned towards the sulking Uiharu. "What do you say, Uiharu? Let's find that waterfall and get ourselves freshened up."

Uiharu puffed her cheeks out, but she did offer her agreement. Kuroko glanced at the last member of their group and saw that Mikoto was stretching her arms above her head with a nonchalant look on her face.

"Well, while you guys do that I'll be—"

"Oh no." Saten-san grinned and stepped forward, grabbing Mikoto by the collar of her shirt. "You're coming with us. You probably weren't bathed on a regular basis in that prison cell, were you?"

Mikoto looked like she wanted to protest, but Kuroko leaned in, studying her stained pants. "I haven't been able to tell whether this is blood or something else, but they sure do need to be washed."

"Eh—"

Even Uiharu sighed. "I think even vampires need to wash off some sweat every now and then, no matter how attractive they are."

Mikoto was blushing quite adorably, and Kuroko's ears flicked in triumph. She hid her grin by pretending to study a particular stain above Mikoto's knee. The matriarch was stuttering already. "Y-Y-You guys!"

"There is no need to fight it, Mikoto. If you do not bathe willingly, I will not let you touch my ears anymore."

This had the delightful effect of making Mikoto snap for breath, her face reddening more and more, and then her shoulders started trembling. Small zaps leapt from her bangs and Kuroko hid a smirk behind a hand.

"F-F-Fine!" Mikoto pulled out of Saten-san's grip. "Let's go then! Jeez."

They found the waterfall after about ten minutes of walking into the woods. It splashed into a nicely sized pond surrounded by colorful flowers and tall, imposing trees heavy with green leaves. It looked near magical and Kuroko felt for a moment like they were invading someone's privacy by dragging their dirtied, sweaty selves into the water.

She had seen Mikoto naked plenty of times of course, but it was always a treat. Commanding her to undress even more so, seeing how it was usually the other way around. As Mikoto pulled off her shirt, Kuroko eyed the toned stomach while licking her lips, appreciating the fact that her lover's body was defined and yet still lean, betraying none of her true strength. She was wearing a sports bra, covering modest breasts that Kuroko loved touching. She felt a pang of guilt at seeing her bandaged arm however.

"Come ooooon~" a few meters away, Saten-san was pulling at Uiharu's skirt, and the cleric was blushing furiously in front of the naked battle mage.

"I-I-I can undress myself!"

Mikoto threw them a look and let out a breath through her nose like a snorting ox, and Kuroko smirked.

"Are you coming down here, love?" She was already naked and standing with water up to her knees. Now she removed the hat as well, revealing her furry ears. Mikoto's eyes snapped back to her, and Kuroko's heart fluttered at the look of eagerness in them. Yet Mikoto didn't move, and didn't pull off her pants. Her gaze moved from Kuroko's ears to the surface of the water, and her brow furrowed.

Kuroko smiled. "I promise it won't bite."

"I don't like water."

"I know." Kuroko understood perfectly well. Vampires couldn't swim. They lost much of their quickheal ability when submerged in water, and they were also considered very tasty by fish and other aquatic creatures. Mikoto had every right to be skeptical. But it was also true that their bodies were grimed and dirty, and Mikoto's in particular.

"Come on, I'll hold your hand." Kuroko coaxed, holding out hers in offer. Mikoto stared at it with extreme disdain.

"There may be shrimps in there."

"There are no shrimps in fresh water. Plus, this pond is really small."

"Well, there may be plankton!"

"I swear, if the plankton tries to eat you I will help you get right out of there."

Although showing extreme discontent at the idea, Mikoto raised her hands and was just about to pull off her belt when Uiharu shrieked and Saten-san laughed; there was a splash and a spray of water. It rained over them and Mikoto reacted like a panther; she scrambled for the nearest tree, climbing to the first branch.

Kuroko blinked. Then she looked up at her in the tree. "Mikoto!"

"I'm not going in there!" The vampire glared at the water and wiped her face, spitting and coughing.

"Quit acting like a child and come down here!"

"Hissssss!" The sound that left Mikoto's throat was unlike any Kuroko had ever heard. She gave the vampire an indignant look, but Mikoto kept hissing, baring her fangs. It seemed like she wasn't going to listen to reason anytime soon.

Kuroko sighed deeply and glanced behind her. Saten-san was in the water, laughing and floating around, and Uiharu stood at the edge looking red-faced. Though tempting, she couldn't very well blame them for Mikoto's childish reaction. _Well… might as well just wash her shirt while I have the chance. _She waded out of the water and bent down to pick up Mikoto's discarded shirt.

"I said I can undress myself!" Uiharu whined behind her.

"That expression is too cute to help it! The water is awesome, come on in guys! Hey, where did Misaka-san go?"

Kuroko glanced at Saten-san, and then raised her head to nod at the tree. Saten-san looked up and saw Mikoto sitting on the lowest branch, glaring at the water like it had offended her.

"No way! Misaka-san, what the heck are you doing?"

Mikoto hissed again and Saten-san laughed. "What the heck is that? Are you a cat or something? Get down here, silly!"

Mikoto grumbled and turned her head away.

"Mikoto~" Kuroko cooed, trying her luck once more. "It really isn't very deep and I'll be here the whole time."

But the vampire promptly ignored her. Kuroko sighed.

"Oh man this is priceless!" Saten-san sounded like she was having a lot of fun at the display.

Maybe the best tactic was to let her run out of steam. Kuroko went to soak the shirt in the pond, wondering just how much grime a person could possibly carry around. While she wrung out the piece of clothing, Uiharu finally braved the water and entered together with Saten-san. She was rewarded with a cheer and a splash that made her squeal adorably.

The shirt was incredibly stained and Kuroko's eyebrow twitched. _I will not sleep beside this for one more night_. She considered teleportation, but with how wound up Mikoto might become there was no saying she wouldn't fry the entire pond the moment she touched water. Kuroko did have one last weapon though, and if need be, she would use it. _To think I would have to sink to this level though… _

She straightened, and turned around. "Mikoto, love." She called out again. Her lover had been staring at the tree, but at the sound of her voice Mikoto's eyes slid over to Kuroko. She twisted her hips and pulled a hand over the furry ear on her head. Mikoto's eyes seemed to double in size. "I need someone to wash my hair… and my ears…"

Mikoto leaned forward on the branch as if not really believing what she heard. _It's super effective~_

"Won't you help me out, love? They are so sensitive, I don't think I can do it myself…"

Mikoto was in the water with them about two seconds later.

XXX

They built a fire by the pond and hung their clothes to dry on the branches around. The sun was still high in the sky and peeking in between the leaves, so it shouldn't take long for them to dry.

Mikoto was glad that the ordeal was over. Apart from when Kuroko teleported her into the water in order to make her wash her hair, taking a bath ended up being quite refreshing. Mikoto didn't regret the time she was allowed to play with Kuroko's ears either. They were so soft and wonderful, she wanted to bite them off and chew on them forever (although when she said that, the paladin had jerked and pulled her head away so quickly Mikoto thought she'd teleported).

While Kazari and Kuroko built the fire, Saten-san went into the woods (naked except for her bat), and came back a while later with a small pig.

"We can save those sausages for another day!"

Mikoto didn't particularly care what they chose to eat, but she was thankful that she wouldn't have to cope with those smelly sausages again. She noticed how Kuroko's ears twitched at the mention of them, although the paladin pretended to not care.

Mikoto's lips pulled up into a smirk. Maybe, if she could play fetch with Kuroko, those sausages wouldn't seem so bad after all.

"Is it burning yet?" Saten-san placed the dead pig on the ground and Mikoto tossed it a look. It was so long since she'd eaten that kind of food that the idea felt entirely alien. In her first days as a fledgling vampire she had tried, but everything came back up. The only thing that stayed down was blood.

She glanced at Kuroko, her lover squatting in front of the firewood and trying to create a spark with the flint. Her ears were pointed in concentration, long hair falling past her shoulders and curling up at the ends, caressing her back. Mikoto stared at her slender neck and licked her lips. Then she jolted, realizing where her thoughts were headed. _Don't be stupid, it's just two days since you ate._ She could eat every day if she wanted, but she didn't start feeling hungry before a week had passed on a normal level of activity. This was entirely psychological and she was annoyed at herself for displaying such weakness.

XXX

"Do we really have to go?" Uiharu, who was sitting on a rock by the fire and watching Kuroko trying to light it, suddenly spoke up. At the same moment Kuroko finally managed to create the spark needed and the dry moss inside the campfire caught fire.

"Of course we do." Saten-san said, looking up from where she was preparing a spit for the pig to roast on. "Kiyama-sensei said so, didn't she?"

Uiharu puffed her cheeks out. "She doesn't know anything about the book, she said so herself."

"All the more reason to go, if you ask me."

"No." Kuroko joined in. "What we should do is go back home."

Saten-san looked at her. "Uiharu might be cursed by that freaky book and you just want to go home?"

"Don't take that tone with me." Kuroko snapped. "We have been gone for far too long. Toaru is Mikoto's grounds and the longer she's away, the greater the chance is that some other vampires invade it in her leave."

"So? Misaka-san would just chase them off once we return, right?" Saten-san looked impatient, and Kuroko did not want to admit that she was right.

Uiharu was picking at the rock with a finger. "I want to go home, Saten-san."

"But you might be in danger!"

"Reading a book has never endangered anyone!"

"There is also the fact that Gilmore's death might have been discovered by now." Kuroko added, and her stomach clenched unpleasantly at the thought. "I don't want to think about what their retaliation might look like."

"All the more reason to stay away, right?" Saten-san pointed out.

"Judgment has a headquarters in Pihs Looc!" Kuroko snapped. "And besides, they might be doing something else, they might…" she hesitated; in fact, this was a major point of worry. "Mikoto, what…"

"What about Uiharu, shouldn't we—"

"What would you do!" Kuroko cut Saten-san off, refusing to be interrupted at this point. "Mikoto! If Judgment levelled Toaru village to the ground, what would you do?"

There was silence for a moment, everyone shocked by the outburst. Kuroko glared into the flames that were starting to lick at the wood.

Saten-san was the first to speak. "Wha – would they really do that!?"

Kuroko waited; her ears twitched and she realized it was because Mikoto had shifted.

"I would crush them."

So simple. Yet it carried a weight that made Kuroko's back shiver. There was no doubt to Kuroko that Mikoto meant every word. If Judgment threatened her, she would fight back.

Kuroko's eyes trembled and she bit her lip. It was the worst possible answer. Judgment had thousands of warriors at their disposal, and all of them were trained to be able to take down a vampire. She tensed when warm fingers touched her back. The vampire leaned in on her and put her cheek on the back of Kuroko's head.

"Don't worry yourself about things like that, Kuroko. Judgment knows that some matriarchs would view any rash actions from their side as treacherous to the vampire society. There's no way they'd risk the ceasefire and everything just to get back at me. Besides, they need the silver that the town delivers."

Mikoto had been around for a long time, and Judgment was even older. It was an organization tasked with keeping order. Gilmore's kidnapping of Mikoto had been entirely unorthodox. Yet Kuroko couldn't help but remind herself that Judgment had celebrated it. Did he lie to them about the circumstances? Gilmore had only wanted to use her, and his objective had been shocking. How many other monsters did Judgment have at their disposal? If war broke out again, she wondered if humanity would really be at the same disadvantage as they had been the past few hundred years.

Mikoto's breath was calm and the feeling of her breasts pressing into Kuroko's back forced her to relax. Kuroko drew a deep breath. Right. Don't worry. There was no way Judgment would break a fifty year old peace treaty just like that. There had been peace for so long because Judgment started hunting only the vampires that were deemed a threat to humans, and the vampire matriarchs agreed to keep their packs under control. None of them wanted humanity's extinction.

However, some were more interested in starting the war anew than others, and if Mikoto came at odds with Judgment, those would jump at the opportunity.

"And right now," Mikoto continued speaking softly into her ear, "our main concern is that creepy book Uiharu has been reading."

Just like that, the spell was broken. Mikoto pulled back, and Kuroko drew a shuddering breath.

"So… we'll be going to Nubanana?" Saten-san asked slowly. It looked like Uiharu wanted to complain still, but the atmosphere they had just been enveloped in had been so heavy that she might have lost her courage.

"Kazari." Mikoto turned her attention on the cleric, who jerked.

"Y-yes!?"

"Why are you afraid of going?"

Uiharu jolted, and Kuroko realized that was spot on. She hadn't really thought about why the girl was so reluctant to go. Now Uiharu's eyes shifted from side to side, and her forehead broke into a sweat.

"Is there something about the book you should be sharing with us?" Mikoto asked.

"I-I, uh…" Did she look paler? Kuroko frowned. She turned to look at Saten-san.

"May we see this book?"

"Uwaaah!" Uiharu shrieked, but Saten-san merely shrugged.

"Sure. I don't see any reason whatsoever why we couldn't."

"W-Wait!"

Despite Uiharu's protests, the book was pulled out, and Kuroko could not believe her eyes. Was that even a book? Uiharu of course kept insisting it was, despite the bleeding eyeballs (the cloth Saten-san had wrapped it in was strangely unstained though, only adding to the creepiness). At their insistence, Uiharu opened the book, and they all stared at the pages.

"Nekomimi?" Kuroko frowned. "That's the title?"

"Shirai-san, you can read it?" Uiharu seemed surprised, and Kuroko crossed her arms.

"Of course. Judgment teaches all their members how to read and write."

"This is in Japanese though..."

"Most texts on the occult are in Japanese so naturally we are taught to read it."

Uiharu looked like she'd just learned something amazing, but Saten-san was looking over her shoulder at the book and frowning. "What the heck is this? Some sort of sign language?"

Obviously, she could not read the characters at all.

"What are the contents?" Mikoto asked, and Uiharu visibly tensed.

"Ah, um…" she might have wanted to escape, but the three of them were surrounding her and she was trapped. Besides which, she wouldn't have gotten very far. Under their pressure, she was forced to turn the pages, and Kuroko frowned upon seeing the scribbles that looked like they had been done by someone with a messy handwriting. Not only that, but…

"Are these spells?"

"Eeeeeh?" Uiharu jolted and looked even more scared than before. "I-I wonder, eheh…"

Kuroko sighed and put a hand on her hip. "Do you even know what they do?"

"Most of them…" she was blushing. "I mean, originally there was just one, but every morning a new one would show up and sometimes I had ink all over my hands."

"_You _wrote it!?" Saten-san gasped, and lifted the cover. "But your name isn't on it!"

"Of course not!"

"But you need to take credit!"

"That's not the concern here." Kuroko snapped. "Uiharu, have you really been writing in this book?"

The cleric looked pale as a ghost. "I-I guess maybe?"

Saten-san leaned forward looking into the book. "So like, what does this one do?" She stuck her finger onto the page, and the parchment flared to life. The pages started flipping as if struck by a furious wind. "Uwaaah!?"

The book started trembling in Uiharu's hands and then a high-pitched scream tore through the air. The letters rose from the page as if pulled by magnetic forces, and while they all stared, the words suddenly twirled around into a black mess and shot right at Uiharu. The cleric barely had time to blink before she was struck and the words that had been on the page entered her eyes like they were some sort of door into her brain.

"Uiharu!" Saten-san yelled and Kuroko's eyes were wide. The book dropped from her hands and Uiharu screamed, eyes alight.

"What the heck just happened!?" Mikoto grabbed Uiharu by the shoulders.

"I-I just touched that thing!"

Uiharu looked up at Mikoto, although those white eyes didn't seem like they saw anything. Her lips parted, and strange words passed her lips.

"Move! Mikoto!" Kuroko cried out, but it wasn't Mikoto who was targeted. A pillar of black and purple smoke exploded from the dead pig, and despite having its skull crushed in, the legs twitched and pushed the pig to its feet. A long-winded squeal escaped its throat and a row of flat teeth was revealed between the great tusks, saliva dripping from its mouth.

Mikoto pulled away from Uiharu and electrified the animal, but it didn't even jolt; instead the squeal grew in force. Its eyes were black and staring right at the vampire.

"What the hell is that thing!?" Saten-san pulled back, and Kuroko's brow broke out in a sweat. _Necromancy?_ Dark magic, and one that did not at all look at home in the hands of the cheerful cleric.

"There's no heartbeat, how can it even move?" Mikoto seemed stunned, and Kuroko gritted her teeth. She turned towards Uiharu, whose eyes were still white.

"Uiharu, snap out of it!"

"Uiharu!" Saten-san grabbed her and shook her. Uiharu turned her head and more incomprehensible words trailed over her lips. Saten-san clutched her arms around herself, eyes wide in horror.

"Saten-san!" Kuroko was horrified, and then the pig squealed and attacked. Even though it was small it had sharp tusks, and it came flying right at Mikoto. There was no way a pig would be a challenge to the matriarch, and right now Saten-san was the biggest concern, so Kuroko concentrated on her.

"Gnihctib!" She let her holy light engulf Saten-san, hoping to dispel whatever black magic was torturing her. The battle mage screamed, though Kuroko couldn't tell if it was in pain or terror; then black smoke exploded out of her and took the shape of something vaguely human in the air above her.

"Gni—" She had barely started when she noticed in the corner of her eyes. The pig had changed targets and was launching right at her. She reacted quickly and teleported, the pig hitting nothing but air. There was a large gash in its side and Kuroko realized Mikoto had pulled out her claws. It startled her for a second, but then she shook it off and glared at the pig. _It won't die from physical attacks. _She flung her hand out in its direction.

"Gnihctib!" The holy light appeared above the pig and exploded downwards. It screamed in pain as its skin melted away and soon nothing but bones were left on the ground.

"What about Saten-san!?" Mikoto turned her head around only to come face to face with Uiharu. The cleric was opening her mouth again and Mikoto twitched, the instinct to lash out obviously close to win against common sense.

"Don't attack!" Kuroko teleported again, picked up Saten-san's bat and appeared right behind the cleric. "I'm sorry, Uiharu!"

She swung the bat and felt sick the instant it connected. Uiharu was knocked forward and twirled around in a pirouette before hitting the ground with a heavy thud. Mikoto stared at the girl with wide eyes, but then Saten-san's whimper caught their attention. The battle mage was kneeling on the ground, and seemingly embracing her from above was the ghostly appearance of a girl. Her giant eyebrows was the only discernable feature in the otherwise smoky form.

"Miho…" Saten-san was muttering and trembling. "Please… I'm not interested in you like that…"

Kuroko aimed her hand at the ghostly apparition. "Gnihctib!" The holy light exploded down and split through the smoke. It didn't seem to do much good on this ghost. Its smoky appearance split around the light and hissed as it floated towards Kuroko. Mikoto's electricity speared it too, but it had no effect, going right through the smoke.

"Kuroko!" There was a trace of panic in her voice, and Kuroko gritted her teeth. Just as the eyebrows ghost reached out for her body, Kuroko teleported over to her clothes and grabbed her pistol from the pile of equipment. The ghost was turning around and Kuroko pointed the barrel right between its eyebrows.

There was no use thinking. She just fired, and the silver bullet speared the smoky ghost right through its head, splinters shooting from a tree behind where the bullet lodged in. The girl let out a high-pitched scream and raised her hands to her face as if she had actually been hurt. Then the smoke dispersed; Kuroko's heart was beating rapidly and she watched as the smoke curled in the air and then was sucked right into Uiharu's unconscious form.

Kuroko stared at the cleric, almost expecting some sort of monster to rise out of her, but nothing more happened. A few seconds passed, and then a few more. The world around them was still sunny, the waterfall still flowing. Kuroko let out a deep breath.

Mikoto's claws retracted. "What the heck was that about?" She glanced at Saten-san, whom sat hunched over on the ground, still trembling and mumbling.

Kuroko noticed the book on the ground and walked over, picking it up. She flipped through the pages, but the parchment was no longer littered with scribbles. Instead, black, yellowish pages stared up at her. Closing it, she noticed that the cover was also blank. Her brows furrowed. She glanced at the cleric lying unconscious on the ground and her insides twisted.

Meanwhile, Mikoto approached Saten-san and squatted before her, reaching out a hand to touch her bare shoulder.

"Hey, Saten-san. Are you alright?"

The girl slowly raised her gaze to look at her, fingers curling on the ground. "Is… she gone?"

"Yeah, Kuroko killed it." Mikoto cocked her head. "Was it someone you knew?"

Saten-san bit her lip and started trembling again. "Miho Jufuku… a former colleague… she was killed during a job a couple of years ago."

Mikoto's eyes softened. "I'm sorry."

"She was all over me. I could never get a moment's peace. I thought I had finally forgotten her, but…" Saten-san balled her hands into fists. "She kept popping up at the worst possible moments!" Mikoto blinked, and Saten-san raised her head, looking relieved. "Maybe she's finally gone now."

"Mikoto." Kuroko called her name and Mikoto turned her head, looking at the paladin. The silver collar around her neck sparkled in the sunlight, but her face looked grave. In her hand she held the book, and Mikoto was about to yell at her to drop it, when she noticed the cover was entirely blank.

Kuroko met her gaze. "We need to go see Nunotaba. I think Uiharu just swallowed the entire book."

XXX

Naturally, since the pig was nothing more than bones now, the sausages were pulled out. Mikoto's eyes watered up at the smell but she refused to leave, worried about Uiharu. Kuroko was also worried, but she was having major trouble concentrating on anything but the sausages grilling above the fire.

When Uiharu groaned a while later, they all tensed up and Saten-san stood above her, bat at the ready. Luckily, she seemed normal when she awoke, and quite flustered at the sight of the naked battle mage above her. It was clear she didn't remember what had happened. Yet the book was just as blank and her eyes were wide with horror when she saw it. There was no more arguing about heading to Pihs Looc.

They dressed themselves once their clothes were dry and kept walking through the forest, hoping to cover some more distance before dark. Mikoto took Uiharu's backpack since the cleric seemed tired, and they hadn't covered a whole lot of ground before darkness fell and they had to stop. The sky was darkening with clouds and they sought cover beneath a protruding rock in the terrain, in case it would rain.

This time Mikoto hunted down a pig for them, and brought it back already fried. While Saten-san and Uiharu went to work on building a campfire to keep their warmth, Kuroko noticed how Mikoto retreated. She made sure the other two had what they needed and then followed after her. Finding the vampire on the branch of a tree, she smiled and teleported up.

"Why are you hiding out here, love?" She embraced her arm and leaned in, resting her head on Mikoto's shoulder.

Mikoto sighed. "I'm not hiding, I just thought I'd keep a lookout."

Kuroko smirked at how transparent she was. "No wild animals would come within a hundred meter radius of you. And humans would have a hard time sneaking up on us." She stroked a hand up and down her back. "Is something bothering you?"

Mikoto pressed her lips together, and then she sighed. "Yeah I guess. I'm worried about Uiharu. If that book really hurt her..."

Just like she'd thought. Kuroko smiled and continued stroking her back. She knew what Mikoto was really bothering herself with in that regard. "There was nothing any of us could have done. None of us expected that book to do something like that."

"Yeah but…"

"No buts." Kuroko turned her head and gently kissed the base of her throat. She took Mikoto's hand and put it on her chest. "I have missed you so much. Why don't we make up for some lost time tonight?"

Mikoto stiffened, and a flash of worry ran through Kuroko.

"I… don't think that's a good idea." She said at last, and a pang of disappointment spread in Kuroko's chest. She slowly lowered Mikoto's hand, and the matriarch did nothing to keep it in place. "I haven't eaten yet and… I don't trust that I would be able to stop if…" she looked troubled.

"You said you weren't hungry." Kuroko didn't mean to accuse her, but she was confused. Sure, Mikoto tended to come to her the same day she'd eaten, but surely a day or two didn't make such a big difference?

"I'm not hungry, it's just… I don't want to hurt you."

Her ears flicked and a bolt of annoyance shot through her. Kuroko glared at the vampire.

"Am I just a toy to you now?"

"What?" Mikoto stared at her in shock, but Kuroko wouldn't buy it that easily. She leaned her head in, putting her ears nearly in Mikoto's face.

"Are these all you care for now? Cuddling with them is fine and all, but I do have other needs."

Mikoto was reddening into a fine shade of red. "Why – I do like your ears, but they are just cute! It's not like they're the only thing I like on you!"

"Then prove it to me." Kuroko challenged her, looking up at her face. Mikoto's eyes flickered, and she seemed annoyed, yet bothered. Kuroko clenched around the sleeve of her shirt. "Prove it to me, Mikoto! You've only been interested in my ears ever since you came back!"

"That's not true."

"Prove it!" Kuroko gritted her teeth and leaned in. "Take me here and now, if you're serious!"

Before she knew it, Kuroko was lying on the branch, staring up at Mikoto above her. The matriarch was growling, baring her fangs. Kuroko's eyes widened. Mikoto never showed her fangs unless she meant to eat or intimidate. Kuroko had never even seen them before she found her in that prison cell.

She held her breath, and Mikoto leaned in, licking her neck. No, it was true. There was probably one thing Mikoto desired more than her ears. Kuroko trembled below her, sensing the tension rise between them.

"You are hungry after all."

Mikoto stopped at that, just as she was about to give her neck another lick. Kuroko clenched her hands and tried to fight back the burning sensation in her eyes.

"Was I ever anything else to you? A toy, or a potential meal. That's all I am." She didn't know where these feelings came from, but she hated it. Hated having these ears, and how Mikoto treated her because of them.

"Don't be stupid." Mikoto pulled back, looking down at her. "I love you."

The words made her so happy, yet at the same time they stung. Kuroko gripped Mikoto's sleeves tightly. "Are you speaking the truth?"

"Yes."

Kuroko wanted to believe her. "Then put them away. Your fangs."

Mikoto glanced away, and Kuroko's chest tightened into a knot. But then the matriarch pulled in a deep breath and released it slowly, closing her eyes. A surge of relief passed through Kuroko when her fangs shrunk, and when Mikoto reopened her eyes, she looked calmer. She turned back towards Kuroko.

"I'm sorry." Her hand moved, stroking Kuroko's head and passing over her ear. Kuroko brushed her hand away, though her chest twisted in annoyance that the touch was actually pleasant. Mikoto leaned down, her breath touching Kuroko's collar bone.

"Your clothes are in the way."

For a second Kuroko was tempted to ask her to rip them off with her claws, but she had just convinced her to retract her fangs. Besides, she needed her clothes. She teleported away the jacket and shirt beneath, revealing her bare skin. Mikoto took in the sight and Kuroko could see the want in her gaze. It was enough to make her heart flutter.

"So beautiful." Mikoto leaned in, trailing kisses from her collarbone and down between her modest breasts. Kuroko had never been very big, and even in her sixteenth year the growth spurt was late in coming. But Mikoto always made her feel perfect. While kissing her chest, Mikoto shifted above her, trying to find the best position on the branch. It was far from a bed, but that only added to the enjoyment.

Mikoto's lips travelled over one breast and Kuroko drew a shuddering breath as they reached the nipple. A soft tongue wetted it, and Kuroko gasped in pleasure as the nipple stiffened. Gently, Mikoto's teeth clasped around it and she started suckling on it.

"Ah—" Kuroko's chest rose upwards, pressing her breast into Mikoto's mouth. When Mikoto's tongue continued playing with the nipple, Kuroko was so hot she could only squirm beneath her.

"M-Mikoto!" She squealed her name and the vampire reacted by biting slightly harder, sending a shock of pain through her. The atmosphere was thick around them, scents tickling Kuroko's nostrils and entering her blood streams. She could tell Mikoto was enjoying it as well, the color of her eyes deepening as their administrations went on. The vampire raised her hand, stroking across Kuroko's stomach. It tensed and Kuroko bit down on a gasp, the combination of the different sensations overwhelming her senses. The nibbling on her breast and the stroking on her stomach created different kinds of sensations. Her arm throbbed and she gritted her teeth.

Mikoto stilled for a second, and the aura emitting from her seemed to grow denser. Her eyes stared at nothing, her breath coming in deep pulls. Listening.

Kuroko squirmed beneath her, hot and bothered, yet her arm throbbed again and she couldn't help the small whimper escaping her throat. Her fingers scraped against the bark on the branch below her and she looked up at Mikoto. She seemed paralyzed, just listening intently and breathing deeply.

"Mikoto?" Kuroko managed to press out her voice despite the feelings clouding her head. At the sound of her name, the matriarch's eyes cleared, and she let out another long breath. Then she pulled back, and Kuroko felt cold all of the sudden.

"We have to stop."

"Wha—?" Kuroko pulled herself up into a sitting position. "Why?"

Mikoto refused to meet her eyes. "I won't be able to resist."

Kuroko wanted to ask what she meant, but the words died on her tongue. She knew. It hurt immensely, but she knew what she meant. She could already see the hunger flaring in her eyes. Not the same kind of hunger she'd seen back in the prison cell, or the kind that had nearly killed her; this was lust, pure greed. Mikoto was telling her that she wouldn't be able to fight it; she would bite, and she would drink her blood.

Kuroko's guts coiled at the idea. Even though she had already been bitten once, that hadn't exactly left her with the greatest impression.

Her fingernails pressed into the palms of her hands. "Then… can we never…?" The idea made her feel icy cold, and Mikoto's eyes widened as well. Then she gritted her teeth, and pressed a hand into her face.

"I won't let it be like this." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself. "Just let me eat first. If I've just eaten then – it should be easier."

Kuroko's heart beat harshly, but she couldn't fight that. She saw how much Mikoto was straining against the desire to take her, and she felt like the matriarch had proven her sincerity. That she was drawn to her blood was something neither of them could help. A small smile spread on her lips and she leaned up and kissed Mikoto's cheek.

"It's fine. I'll wait."

Mikoto looked surprised, and then even more guilty. "I'm sorry, Kuroko."

"Don't be. I know you want what's best for us." She smiled, leaning her head on her shoulder again. "And I love you for that."

XXX

Uiharu was fast asleep, stuffed into her sleeping bag. Every now and then she whimpered lightly, a grimace forming on her face. Shirai-san must have hit her pretty hard, and though Ruiko understood why, she still felt bad about it.

At first she had wanted to go to Pihs Looc because that would give her time to think things over while heading in the right direction. It was wholly egoistic in that sense. She didn't really believe the whole cursed book thing, or well, she hadn't really thought Uiharu was in any danger at least.

She stared into the crackling fire and took in the sounds of the dark forest around them. Both Misaka-san and Shirai-san had snuck off, and she could only imagine what they were doing. Her lips pulled up into a grin.

A small voice coughed from the sleeping bag.

"S-Saten-san…"

Uiharu was suddenly looking at her with groggy eyes. "Hey, you're awake?" Ruiko crawled over. "Do you need something? Water?"

"Yes, please…"

Ruiko found a bottle in Uiharu's backpack. "You don't have anything else in here, right? Like bottled spirits or something." She pretended to eye the bottle suspiciously and Uiharu puffed her cheeks out.

"Just kidding." Ruiko grinned and helped Uiharu up enough to have a sip of the bottle. When she laid back down, Uiharu's forehead looked sweaty and Ruiko felt a flash of worry. Maybe she had a concussion? That or, swallowing an evil book might be tearing on her stamina.

"I hope you're not melting from within or something."

Uiharu didn't answer, and Ruiko sat down properly, watching the fire again. "You just sleep, okay? I'll keep watch for now."

"Thanks, Saten-san…" Uiharu drifted off again.

They walked through the forest for days, and Uiharu's condition seemed to worsen for each one. Mikoto had a habit of disappearing whenever she felt like it, as if staying with them for too long at a time was stressful. Seeing no reason to force her to stay around, the others just kept walking. Sooner or later, they would have to find _something_.

XXX

"Hey Uiharu, are you feeling alright?"

Kazari blinked, realizing she'd tripped again, and Saten-san was holding her arm.

"Oh… sorry." She got to her feet, using Saten-san's arm as support.

The battle mage gave her a thorough look. "You don't look all that well." She put a hand to Kazari's forehead. "Woah, you're burning up! Shirai-san!"

"What?" Shirai-san had stopped and she was now giving them a narrow gaze.

"Smacking that bat into her head must have done more damage than we thought. I think we really ought to check it out!"

Shirai-san's eyes quivered for a bit and she looked away. Kazari thought it looked like she was feeling guilty, but it was hard to tell through the daze in her head.

"And how do you suggest we do so? We are in the middle of the woods." The paladin huffed, hands on her hips. "I don't suppose Uiharu can heal herself."

"I… might…" Kazari tried to straighten, and Saten-san leaned in.

"Woah woah! Don't start using any magic here! We don't need more ghosts or undead pigs haunting us right now."

"Oh…" She sunk back.

"There's gotta be humans somewhere nearby." Saten-san looked around, and then drew a breath. "Hey! Misaka-san! Can't you smell any humans around here!?"

There was no answer, and Kazari glanced at the trees around them. Misaka-san had left them a while earlier, though she hadn't been aware enough to gather why.

"Sheesh, where did she go?" Saten-san scratched her head.

"This is no good." Shirai-san said, looking up. "The sky is darkening and the winds are picking up. At this rate we'll be caught in a downpour on top of everything."

Kazari sighed. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be silly, it's not your fault. Any towns nearby, Shirai-san?" Saten-san hoisted Kazari's arm over her shoulder and helped her over to the paladin. Shirai-san had pulled out the map and was gazing at it with a serious expression.

Saten-san looked at the map as. "Where are we anyway?"

Shirai-san jerked. "Eh!? Well, we're – we are right here." She pointed on the map.

"You're sliding your finger too much, at this rate we're already in Pihs Looc."

"Uh – anyway, there doesn't seem to be any towns marked on this map between us and Pihs Looc!" Kuroko examined the map closer and it did indeed seem to be the case.

Saten-san sighed. "So people around here live in tree-houses or what?"

"It might be be uninhabited…" Kazari breathed, hanging onto Saten-san with more weight by the minute.

Shirai-san glanced at her. "In either case, we need to find shelter."

"No problem." Suddenly, Saten-san put her arms under Kazari's knees and she squealed as the battle mage picked her up bridal style. "We can go on for a while yet."

"S-Saten-san!"

"That works fine. Let's go." Shirai-san turned around and continued into the woods.

XXX

They hadn't been walking for long before Kuroko's ears flicked beneath the hat. Chopping sounds – someone was using a tool to chop something. Humans? She put a hand out and halted Saten-san in her tracks.

"There is someone up ahead. I'll go check."

Saten-san, with Uiharu in her arms still (the cleric had fallen asleep somewhere along the way, still blushing), nodded once. Kuroko slipped forward through the bushes, keeping noise levels low. It was farther than she'd thought; her hearing seemed to have improved with the new set of ears. After a few minutes of shifting through the woods the forest opened up into a small clearing.

A man was standing by the other end of the clearing, holding a giant machete in his hands and letting out a controlled breath. Kuroko thought he might be a warrior, but he was carrying a straw basket on his back. She studied him closer; red hair, firm chin, a toned and controlled body. Her heart made an odd jump in her chest and she was shocked to feel her face heating up. _Wh-What's wrong with me?_

The man suddenly pulled in a sharp breath, and Kuroko's eyes were glued to his form; it was perfect, he must be a skilled swordsman. Letting out a stream of air between his lips, the man lowered his stance and raised his elbow until his arm and the machete was poised in a perfectly horizontal position. But there was no enemy. Was he practicing?

Kuroko jumped when he suddenly roared and slashed out. His swing was perfect, powerful, deadly. He chopped right through the herbs clinging to the tree in front of him and before they could touch the ground, he followed the swing with the basket on his back, catching the herbs into it.

Kuroko was stunned. She didn't even have the presence to hide when the man looked up and noticed her in the bushes. He seemed young, maybe in his twenties.

"Oh, hey there! What brings a fair lady to this part of the woods?" Grinning, the guy rested the giant machete on his shoulder, slinging the basket onto his back once more.

"U-uuuh…" She hesitated, and then shook her head. "W-We're actually looking for shelter! Do you know if there's a town nearby?"

"Sure do. But ain't got a habit of showing it to strangers like so. We're a private community, of you catch my gist." He winked, and she suddenly had the strangest urge to throw herself at him.

"Name's Saijid, what's yours?"

"Sh-Shirai… Kuroko…" Why was she stuttering, of all things!?

His grin fell somewhat and his eyes narrowed. "Hey, you feeling alright? You look a bit flushed over there. If you're not feeling all that good, I have some remedies in my cabin just down the slope over here. I'd be glad to help out such a fine lady as yourself."

Kuroko narrowed her eyes. Gathering herbs, remedies… "You're a cleric?"

"Shaman." He jingled the necklace around his neck, which she realized was made out of fangs. Not vampire fangs, she hoped.

Could he be trusted? But this might be their only chance. They were three people, and if worst came to worst, they would be able to take him down. Not to mention she had full trust in Mikoto to come to their assistance if need be. She was probably not further away than to be able to keep an eye on them.

The thought was somehow both reassuring and frightening. But this was the best chance they'd gotten so far.

"I have an injured friend." Kuroko said. "Would you be able to help her?" She hoped she wasn't making a grave mistake in trusting some guy she just met in the woods, she did not sense any hostility from this guy, even if she found it difficult to place him.

"I can sure take a look at her!"

Kuroko decided to take her chances.

XXX

Saijid the shaman lived in a small cabin right in the middle of the forest. There was hardly any space between the woods and his front door, though a thin trail snaked its way between the trees and Kuroko supposed it lead _somewhere_. Saijid took a look at a blushing Uiharu, and even Saten-san was unable to keep her eyes off as his hands touched Uiharu's forehead. He closed his eyes, chanting alluringly in a foreign language.

Kuroko's heart was surging right up into her throat and she had to remind herself four or five times during a single minute that this guy was a stranger, a man, and besides, he wasn't _that _good-looking, was he?

"Hmm yes, she seems to have a concussion." He opened his eyes and looked at the two of them, making both of them jolt. "I'll give her something that might help, but more than that, she needs her rest." He smiled and the cabin seemed to stretch out around them, filling with flowers and bees. _He's handsome _and _oblivious!? _Kuroko was terrified. It was the worst possible male alive.

He produced a small bottle from a cabinet and Saten-san was entirely stiff as he had to stretch up above her to get up, apologizing in advance. Then he magically pulled out a spoon from somewhere and stuck it into the bottle, before turning to Uiharu.

"Alright, say aaah."

Uiharu was flushed and Saten-san seemed to stiffen in shock. Kuroko's heart was beating somewhere in her brain by now, and she had to fight for every breath. _He's too much! Way too much!_

Somehow, Uiharu managed to swallow the remedy, and he smiled gently at her. "Good, good. Now, I have a bed here, if you'd—"

"Excuse me, is there a town nearby!?" Both Kuroko and Saten-san stood up at the same time and spoke in unison. The dangerous atmosphere was crawling over their skin. Kuroko was certain she could feel the pressure grow outside the cabin. _This is dangerous, so incredibly dangerous! _She didn't know why, but she felt like every alarm bell was ringing inside her mind.

Saijid looked at them in surprise, and then he beamed. "Sure! Sotokim is just down the hill from here. You girls are great, so I betcha they'll welcome you."

"S-Sotokim?" Kuroko couldn't remember seeing that name on the map.

"But I can't let you carry her all the way down there." He put a hand on his chin and suddenly, his expression was thoughtful. Kuroko groaned and leaned on the wall as her chest burned. _Why is he… so handsome? _

"It's fine, I can carry her!" Saten-san put her hand into the air as if volunteering.

"Ah, I know!" He suddenly lit up. "I'll pull out my cart and get you all down there. I wouldn't want you to be caught in the bad weather that's brewing, and I know the innkeeper pretty well. I'll throw in a good word for you." He grinned.

_Guaaaaah! _Kuroko's heart was speared again and again by the brilliance of his person. _This guy is some sort of succubus! A male succubus! _Her eyes span and she heaved for air._F-Forgive me, Mikoto!_

There was a clap of thunder and Kuroko's brain snapped back to the present. A cold sweat broke out on her neck and she looked outside to see the rumbling black clouds above.

There was a knock on the door and Kuroko froze.

"Yeah?" Saijid opened the door, and Mikoto stood outside.

"Jeez, you guys suddenly dropped off my radar. No wonder, a shaman barrier and all." The matriarch scratched her neck, and eyed the shaman in front of her. Kuroko was both relieved and terrified at having her lover show up right this moment, but thankfully all the feelings she knew and adored blossomed up at the sight of her.

"You're not human." Mikoto was still looking at Saijid. He jerked, and Kuroko's eyes widened. _He… he really IS a succubus!?_

Mikoto's eyes narrowed. "I get the feeling that you're a goat."

He looked stunned. "Oh… well, I'm not."

"Yeah, but I get that feeling."

They stared at each other, and Saijid slowly blinked. "I'll… just go outside and prepare the cart."

Mikoto's eyes followed him until out of the cabin until he was gone, and then she turned towards the others. "How's Kazari doing?"

"I-I'm fine!" Uiharu squealed.

"Tell me if you start growing fur."

Kuroko frowned. "As in… goat fur?"

The vampire looked thoughtful. "Maybe he's a shrimp…"

It was probably better to not try and make sense of this.

They went outside a minute later, and Mikoto kept throwing Saijid suspicious looks. Kuroko wanted to smack her out of it, but better have her lover be suspicious than asking questions about why Kuroko blushed each time she looked at him.

"So, we're all ready." He straightened at last, and threw a look at Mikoto that Kuroko did not fail to catch. She was about ready to faint. _He's attracted to her! This guy is the biggest airhead on earth and he's so easy to read!_

"Ah, so, whoever feels like jumping in first…" Saijid was scratching his neck. Though he tried to act nonchalant, Kuroko saw how his eyes trailed over Mikoto's body.

Kuroko's ears trembled beneath the hat. _She is miiiiiiineee!_

Saten-san grabbed her sleeve. "Calm down, mutt."

"I am not a mutt! I am a paladin! A warrior of justice! I am Mikoto's loverrrrrrrrr!" She snarled at the battle mage, and was rewarded a pointed look. She realized she was creating a scene. "Oh."

Mikoto winked at her. "You're hot when you're jealous."

"I AM NOT JEALOUUSSSSSSSS—"

"There there mutt, let's go." Saten-san patted her back, and Kuroko bit down on the rest of her hiss.

Not long after all four of them were sitting in the cart while Saijid pulled them along the narrow path, and the atmosphere could not have been more awkward if it tried.

XXX

The town of Sotokim was not as much a town as it was an overgrown gathering of houses in the middle of the forest. The path from Saijid's cabin hardly ever grew bigger, and by the time they saw the first few houses, the trees had barely grown scarcer. That was the first impression, but as they closed in, Kuroko could see cobblestone on the roads inside the town and it looked like the houses were more numerous than back in Kiyama's village. Still, placed right in the middle of the forest like this it couldn't be called the most visited place of the century.

The sky was steadily darkening and by the time Saijid stopped outside the inn, a light trickle of rain had started. Saten-san lifted Uiharu out of the cart; the cleric was fast asleep by now. Saijid opened the door for them and the three of them went inside. Kuroko jumped out of the cart as well, brushing off hay straws from her arms and butt.

"I suppose this is as remote as one can possibly get; I'm surprised they even have an inn." There was no answer, and she looked up at Mikoto, who still sat at the back end of the cart. She was staring down the cobblestone road with a far-away look on her face. Kuroko glanced down the road as well but there was nothing out of the ordinary, just the usual sight of people walking down the street, and houses. No goats, no shrimps. She frowned.

"Mikoto?"

The vampire jolted, and then turned towards her. She looked flustered all of the sudden, and Kuroko's gaze narrowed. "Is something the matter?"

"No, I'm okay." She smiled, and Kuroko felt more at ease at the sight. Yet she knew that feeling, and shook her head.

"Don't think you can charm your way out of everything, love." She gave her a strict glare.

Mikoto looked guilty and started searching for a way out, but Kuroko would have none of that. She teleported into the cart and grabbed Mikoto's collar. "We don't have time for secrets, okay? If you're troubled, you tell me. Are you hungry, is that it?" It had been a while now since she last ate and Kuroko couldn't stop worrying about that.

"No, that's not it. I just…" Mikoto glanced around them again. "This place is… kind of familiar."

Kuroko faltered. The look in the matriarch's eyes was somehow melancholic; she had never seen it before. "Have you been here before?"

"I don't remember. I guess I might have passed by sometime…" she rubbed her head. "I was just a little surprised."

Kuroko released her collar and sighed. Although she wasn't entirely convinced, there was no use wasting their time out here; the downpour would only grow. "Fine. Let's go then."

They grabbed one backpack each and followed the others inside the inn. It was tragically empty, only a few tables gathered in the corner, dusty from disuse. If the locals went out somewhere at night, this place wasn't it. Saten-san already stood by the counter with a sleeping Uiharu in her arms and the shaman was talking to an elderly woman behind it.

"We haven't had out-of-town guests in several months," the woman was saying, "normally we're just considered a love hotel, and while business in good in that regard, it's nice with some quiet sleepovers every now and then."

A love hotel? Kuroko's eyes twinkled. This could be her chance to get some action. She just had to get the vampire fed first.

"Sorry, you won't be getting a good shut-eye with these guests." Saten-san said, grinning at the two of them. The woman looked up and her eyes widened a notch.

"I… see." Her gaze lingered but a moment before turning towards Saijid. "Four people then? How long?"

"We just need a bed for tonight, ma'am." Kuroko shot in. She hoped her hat did the trick of hiding her ears. She was still wearing that silver collar though, and no doubt the innkeeper was wondering what kind of group they were.

"Whaaat, just one night?" Saten-san pouted. "I was hoping to get a proper rest."

"You can rest when you're dead."

"Shirai-san, you're a slave driver."

"You have no idea." Kuroko smirked up at Mikoto. The vampire was zoning out again though, and Kuroko huffed.

Saijid waved them goodbye and left with his cart just as the downpour started for real. After they had been handed the keys to their rooms, Saten-san brought Uiharu upstairs. Kuroko went for the stairs as well when she realized Mikoto didn't follow. The vampire was staring at the common room and there was something odd about her expression, like a puzzled thoughtfulness had settled over her.

"Mikoto?" She called her name and at once the innkeeper froze up. Kuroko glanced at her and saw her stare at the vampire, eyes wide. _No… could she be a Judgment informer?_

"M-Mikoto?" The woman asked, and Mikoto's shoulders made a small jerk. The woman didn't seem to be able to believe her eyes. "Are you really… no…" She pulled back, placing a hand to her head. "I'm sorry, I must be mistaken."

Kuroko was puzzled, but Mikoto's eyes had widened.

"H-Haruue…" a single word slipped past her lips and Kuroko's eyebrow rose. Then Mikoto suddenly strode past her, towards the stairs.

"Wait – Mikoto!" Kuroko followed after her, throwing a glance at the old lady once more. She looked stunned, staring after them as if she'd seen a ghost. Kuroko narrowed her gaze and followed the hastening vampire. Up the stairs, down the corridor (decorated with silky embroideries), past an open door – "Hey guys, look at this bed! It's a coffin!" – and when Mikoto reached for the door handle Kuroko yelled.

"Wait!"

Mikoto froze, and Kuroko walked up to her, sticking the key into the lock. "We don't have enough money to pay for any damaged doors."

Mikoto did not move, and Kuroko stared at her. "What's wrong with you?"

Saten-san had also poked her head out, looking puzzled. "Everything okay?"

Mikoto finally took a deep breath. "Ah... well, I finally realized. I - I was born here. The human me I mean. I haven't really been back since... well I haven't been back in a while. It feels... weird."

Something cold and heavy settled in Kuroko's stomach. She hadn't really considered the idea before now, but Mikoto was a fairly young matriarch. Then that innkeeper… she squared her shoulders.

Mikoto suddenly chuckled. "Man. I need a drink."

"No, you don't. You need to eat." Kuroko opened the door to the room, and was just as pleased as she'd hoped. The room was decorated in red tapestries and silk cloth, and the bed was filled with quilts and pillows.

She smirked at Mikoto. "And afterwards, we need to try this out."

Saten-san whistled, and Mikoto stared into the room. "I… _really _need a drink."

XXX

Kuroko had a fit at that, but Saten-san stepped in for Mikoto.

"Of course she needs a drink right now! You'd drink too, if you came back to your home many years from now only to find it turned into a love hotel! ...I… guess…?"

The righteous paladin merely fumed as she stomped off to fill up on their equipment.

Mikoto felt a stab of guilt, but Saten-san pulled her off, cloaks over their heads as shields from the rain.

There was a pub in town, as found by asking the first person they met on the streets, and not much later they entered a rowdy place. Mikoto glanced around, wary of seeing any known faces. Most of these were younger than her though, and she relaxed a little.

Seeing Haruue had really tripped her up. Even though she was fifty years older, her face had seemed familiar. Something had seemed off about the place and now she knew why. _Who'd think we'd stumble upon this place right in the middle of nowhere…_

She couldn't remember the town in detail, and that was probably for the better. It was already odd enough, and she felt like she'd rather leave as quickly as possible.

Saten-san found them a free table by the wall and called the waitress over. She was a cute girl, busty and bold, and she leaned in a little too much while taking their order. Not that any of them complained about that.

"Wow, I keep forgetting that vampires used to be human." Saten-san said after the waitress left with their order.

"Saten-san…" Mikoto gave her a warning glance. Talking about that in the middle of town might not be the best idea.

"Relax, nobody'll hear us anyway. The guys in the corner are already drunk."

She was right of course. "Still, don't make it obvious."

"Gotcha." She grinned. When the waitress returned with two huge mugs of ale, her gaze lingered on Mikoto and winked.

"Here you go."

Saten-san chuckled once the girl left, and leaned forward. "Say, how long has it been?"

"What do you mean?" Mikoto sniffed the mug and found the aroma satisfying. It was full and strong, not watered out. She raised the mug and took a long swig.

"Well, since…" Saten-san suggested, raising her eyebrows.

Mikoto put the mug back down and sighed. Gazing thoughtfully at the ale, she tuned out the loud laughter from the men behind them. "About fifty years."

Saten whistled. "That's a long time." She picked up her mug and swirled the contents around. "Though I guess for a va—I mean, I guess it's not that much, all things considered."

Mikoto smiled at her effort. "Yeah."

Saten-san held out her mug. "To hometowns!"

Mikoto couldn't help but grin, and raised hers as well. Then they both chugged it down in one go.

It was on round two that they discovered the place had Campari. Saten-san was beyond herself with glee and she ordered a bottle full, saying she'd contest Mikoto on drinking the most ("This stuff is strong, I bet you won't be able to hold it!"). Naturally Mikoto was not one to back down, and soon they were both drunk. She lost track of time and that felt perfectly fine. Saten-san laughed louder and louder, and Mikoto enjoyed her company. They didn't speak anymore of the town or her past, which was also fine. She didn't particularly want to remember.

Somewhere along the line the pub filled up and grew rowdy. Saten-san looked more and more tempting and Mikoto knew she should eat. But Saten-san was soon too drunk, and alcohol in the blood was not very tasty. The waitress kept looking better and better as well however, and when the evening grew dark and her head was swimming just the right amount, it was the waitress who Mikoto approached, and the girl was more than happy to comply.

Mikoto brought her outside. The girl was giggling and coming along like she was expecting to have the greatest time of her life. Mikoto was too drunk to care about her potentially destroying her dreams, and she was hungry besides. The strain of being with Kuroko and not tasting her blood had been tearing at her for days.

She trapped the girl to the wall in the alley behind the pub. She smelled fine, and Mikoto's fangs grew without her even thinking about it. The girl just sighed however, and turned her head to the side as if offering herself up.

It rang oddly in her dazed mind; the girl was a complete stranger and didn't know Mikoto either. But who was she to complain about food being cooperative? The important thing was that they wanted it to happen. She did not quite enjoy the forcing herself onto them. She leaned in and kissed the girl's throat, feeling the pulse just beneath the skin. The girl whimpered in pleasure, and Mikoto trailed her hands down her sides. _She's already so relaxed. _Oh well. That saved her time. She poised her fangs and breathed out, preparing to bite.

"Well now, isn't it considered bad manners to intrude upon somebody else's feeding grounds?"

She froze, and at once, the fog in her mind seemed to lift. Someone had walked up to them. Turning her head, Mikoto eyed the person and immediately recognized the light in his eyes. Vampire. One out to feed at that. He was tall and lean, hands in pockets and a smug smile on his face. Too close, and coming closer. She bared her fangs in a snarl and allowed a spark of electricity to leave her bangs.

"Oh really, after intruding on my grounds that's how you greet me?" He stopped, his red eyes twinkled, and then they narrowed. "Wait, electricity…?" Slowly, his expression changed as it dawned on him. Mikoto was expecting as much, but not that his lips curled into a grin like that, revealing his own fangs. "Really? Really really? Are you the Railgun?" His grin grew wider and wider until it looked like his head might split in two. "What an honor, having another matriarch visiting my feeding grounds." He bowed theatrically.

Mikoto frowned. "Another?"

He licked his lips. "I'm sorry, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Hajime Saito, and I serve the Queen of this town." His claws erupted from his fingers and a guttural growl left his throat as his eyes turned black. "I don't take lightly to intruders, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to chase you off!"

The vampire charged and Mikoto pushed the girl away. "Run!"

* * *

><p><strong>Note:<strong>

In the moments of finalizing the NanoWriMo novel that has taken up all of November, I stop by to give you the next part of BSS: The Bloody Chronicles of Girls with Desires of Otherwordly Dimensions and Attitudes Beyond what You can Comprehend while Doing Sexy Things with Dead Pi-...

...

Oh no! Who is this "Queen"? Will Kuroko ever get her sexy times? Will Kazari turn into a goat? Tune in for the answers in next part of BSS: Times of Romance and War in a Medieval Universe with Too Many Modern References and Naked Scenes where Girls Do Sexy Things with Dead- DAMNIT


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